The Game of Love
by V.P.virtuoso
Summary: -AU- It was only meant to last for a week; seven days of nothing but pure rivalry and hell. Fate, however, has other things in store for them, and events then make a turn for the worse. In this game of love, who'd win? Who'd lose? To find out, you'll have to play along. SAKURA x SYAORAN, slight Eriol x Tomoyo. CHAPTER FOUR NOW UP!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hi there! Account user **Abby** here. This account is a shared one actually, by me and my best friend. **Just click on our profile for more information**! My first CSS fic! So…um…I'm not gonna be saying anything more, except for a "rookie writer warning" since I'm not that much experienced in writing yet, and that English is not really my first language. Consider yourselves warned, but comments are greatly appreciated! I love criticisms too, but not too harsh please XD

**Inspiration:** Boredom, and the anime Special A.

**Note:** If some dialogues seem familiar to you in any way, then that's because I got that from Special A :D

Special acknowledgement to my wonderful beta-reader, **Sakura-chan Master of the Clow**.

**Summary: **-AU- It was only meant to last for a week; seven days of nothing but pure rivalry. And hell. Fate, however, has other things in store for them, and events then make a turn for the worse. In this game of love, who'd win? Who'd lose? To find out, you'll have to play along. S x T, slight E x T.

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN CARDCAPTOR SAKURA, AND THE POEMS USED IN THIS CHAPTER.  
**

* * *

**The Game of Love**

_By: Abby _

**Chapter One**

* * *

**Challenge No. 1: Track and Field**

* * *

"I win, right?" a young boy said, his still standing straight and composed figure looming over the sweaty, fallen, and exhausted one of a girl his age. His lips then tilted up into an arrogant smirk as the mocking question escape him. He knew he had won alright; still, he found it quite amusing to ask, especially upon seeing the girl's shocked and frozen expression.

The girl was on all fours, panting, breathing deeply, and catching her breath after that long track run. "N-no way…," she whispered as she then looked up to the smirking boy. "This can't be…" she added.

She couldn't believe she had lost. To him. To that seemingly weak and puny little boy. To Syaoran Li.

The very first person she had ever lost to.

"Not so tough now are you? Hm?" He snickered as he left. "I'm gonna find a more worthy opponent."

_Opponent._

That word resounded on the girl's mind, and only then had she finally got a grip back on reality. She glared at the boy's retreating figure with all the frustration she could muster. "GET BACK HERE GAKI!" she demanded.

"Why would I?"

.

.

.

"Miss Rank Number Two?"

The girl could only gasp with resentment.

* * *

**Point Tally: Syaoran - 1; Sakura - 0**

* * *

_"D-don't call me that!"_

_"Why not? Miss Rank Number Two really fits you, you know…"_

_"No it doesn't!"_

_"Yes it does. You lost, Kinomoto. Accept the truth."_

_"Ugh! Mark my words, Li, someday, I will beat you. Just wait!"_

A sigh.

Sakura Kinomoto. Just your average, plain, sixteen-year-old girl, struggling for survival in this thing she liked to call "Hell on Earth." School, in other words; Junior High, to be exact. Right from the start of her high school years, Sakura knew she'd hate it, and as the girl sat by in her Math class that day, lost in her own thoughts and clearly oblivious to the rest that was going around her, she knew she had proven herself right. Yes, just like any teenager, attending tedious and repetitive classes almost eight hours a day wasn't her exact idea of "fun." Nope, not even in the slightest bit.

She slumped sluggishly back onto her seat. She was not particularly interested in listening to her teacher blabbering complete nonsense in front (or so it seemed to her), about some completely screwed up Peethagoorey Theorem. Or something like that. She really couldn't tell truth to be told; she wasn't paying any attention. Thankfully though, some random dude had excused the woman. Probably an important faculty meeting. Instantly, the room burst into noisy chatters. Sakura, however, just resorted to staring out the window.

"Sakura, you seem spaced out," Tomoyo Daidouji, her best friend, noted.

"Oh…that." A shrug. "It's nothing. Don't worry, Tomoyo-chan."

She chuckled softly. "Hmmm….about our History quiz later?"

Sakura's eyes widened. "How did you know? But anyway, yeah, that's it. And I swear, I am _soooooo_ gonna beat Li on that one! I'm sure of it!"

Looking back, she couldn't help but slightly flinch at how her day had badly started. She woke up late, and truth to be told, her brother's wisecracks in the background didn't help much. She practically messed up their whole living room as she scrambled through her school things, and then stepped out of the house with her hair still uncombed. But then, a longing feeling plagued her. Forget about waking up late again. Forget about that annoying Touya. Forget about being seen publicly in a complete mess. Forget even about that long Calculus test she had to take that day. It was a new day. Another day of school. Another chance to go up against a certain amber-eyed boy in their usual competitions.

Syaoran Li. Her rival.

She was determined; face brimming with confidence and assurance of herself. She knew she'd beat him today, she could feel it. This was what she kept reminding herself every single day. Unfortunately for her, she never did get to beat him in anything. Anything. Whether it's from quarterly exams to a simple staring contest, the results were always the same. Puntos for Syaoran, na-da for Sakura.

But today? Ha. She'd make sure she'd turn the tables around. She'd make sure he'd eat dust. She'd make sure he'd surrender. She'd make sure she'd win. Today was different; she could feel it, excitement getting the best of her through and through.

"You'd just be humiliated; I'm sure of that, too," Ryu Hasegawa, another friend of hers, joined in. "Are you sure about going up against him? Again? Think it'd be better if you just give up Sakura-chan— Hey, OW!"

"Like, _soooo_ not helping Hasegawa," Mei Lin Li, still as feisty as ever, scolded the raven-haired boy, her bright red eyes flaring as she faced Sakura animatedly. "Sakura-chan, don't mind that stupid dunce. I say go for it! Heh. It's not every day that you'd get to see someone so determined to beat that cousin of mine. Much more, seeing someone actually beat him…"

"If, someone could that is," an arrogant voice cut in, a voice which Sakura already knew _by heart_, making her mutter grimly under her breath.

She turned, expecting to see a boy probably a foot taller than her, with chocolate brown hair and amber eyes, a matching arrogant smirk plastered on his face, standing right behind her. And, guess what? She did.

And so, just like any of their other, countless encounters, she burst into a rage of fury.

"DROP IT WITH THE COCKY ATTITUDE, LI. It's annoying." She glared at the boy. "Show off."

Syaoran grinned as he dropped his bag onto his seat. "Whatever you say…_Klutz._"

"I am not a klutz!"

"Right. You're not."

Sakura could only turn her back against him with an irritated "Hmpf!" From her seat, she then saw her sensei return, and then continue with her lessons, and Sakura, well, just as always, _pretended_ to be listening to her. She didn't understand a thing though.

Stupid Peethagoorey Theorem.

Whatever it is.

"So…what's up today? Got any challenges? Eh? Kinomoto?"

"Ha. You bet Li. I've got a loooooong list here in my mind! And now we're down to...uh...what, number are we in again?"

"Challenge No. 36, 482"

"Right. 36, 482. You are on!"

Syaoran shrugged coolly. "Right then. Prepare to lose."

"That is NOT gonna happen."

"We'll see. Oh, and another thing…"

.

.

.

"It's _Pythagorean_ Theorem. Not _Peethagoorey,_" he grinned. "Miss Rank Number Two."

Sakura frowned.

Oh…she is SO gonna get him.

* * *

**Challenge No. 36, 482: Race to the cafeteria**

* * *

Sakura panted as she ran down Tomoeda High's corridors, the ear-piercing ring of their school bell playing in the background. It was recess. She hurried down the crowded place, zoomed right past some baffled guy, nearly bumped into a surprised sensei, and almost tripped along the way. But she didn't stop running. Instead, she raced faster, determined on getting to their cafeteria earlier than…

…Him.

Sakura abruptly halted in her tracks. She couldn't believe it, or rather, she didn't want to believe it.

"Late as always, I see." He smirked.

"W-what…b-but…I-I…" she sputtered, clearly at a loss of words.

This made Syaoran's smirk grow…well…_cockier._ "What's wrong, Sakura? Don't tell me you actually _thought_ you'd get to beat me?" he mocked.

Sakura flared. "OH SHUT THE HELL UP, LI."

* * *

**Point Tally: Syaoran - 36, 482; Sakura - 0**

* * *

"Whatever," Syaoran merely shrugged in response. "Come on, let's get inside. Tomoyo's waiting…"

.

.

"…along with our History test results…"

With this said, Sakura instantly rushed inside, face brimming with anticipation.

* * *

**Challenge No. 36, 483: History Unit Test**

* * *

"Tomoyoooo!" Sakura called from across the room. "Let me see my test result!"

Behind her, Syaoran followed, hands in pockets and still as composed as ever. Tomoyo handed the two's papers respectively. Syaoran scanned his paper with expressionless eyes. Sakura, however, had a different response.

"HA!" she blurted out, then shoving the paper proudly in front of Syaoran. "See this, Li? It's a damn, freakin' 'A!'" she boasted. "Bet you can't beat that!"

Syaoran raised a brow. "Uh…yeah. I can."

"W-what?" Sakura sputtered out. "Let me see!" she said as she grabbed his paper, eyes widening as she looked at the red-tinted score largely encircled at the top-right corner of his answer sheet.

'A+'

He got an 'A+'.

* * *

**Point Tally: Syaoran - 36, 483; Sakura - 0**

* * *

Syaoran grinned. "What's wrong? Speechless?"

Sakura remained frozen, before then flaring up with determination. "I AM NOT!" she said defensively. "Listen here, Li, in the next challenges…I. Will. Beat. You. Got that?"

"Keep wishing…Miss Rank Number Two."

"ARGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!"

* * *

**Challenge No. 36, 484: Poem Writing Activity**

* * *

_"…The beeping stops, and all goes quiet,_

_Not a single breath comes from among the riot_

_No pulse, no beat, but a silent scream,_

_No one to wake from this horrid dream."_

"Wonderful!" their Literary teacher exclaimed as Sakura went back to her seat. "Next?"

"Me." —Syaoran.

"Good. Li, please come up the platform."

The boy did as what he was told to do, before then clearing his throat.

_"The World's Reality_

_As a child, we dreamt of jolly things,_

_Soaring high, flying on bird's wings._

_We dreamt of the of the good, but never of the bad,_

_Of simple pure happiness, the thoughts we had."_

Sakura yawned. Bo-ring…

_"Slowly and slowly, as we grew,_

_Our dreams changed, and morphed anew._

_We somehow locked the jolly spirit inside,_

_Kept all those dreams and fun behind._

_And in those times of development and change,_

_The way we think has been rearranged._

_The world as we saw it, moments before,_

_Left all the simplicity, even happiness was no more."_

"Wow…his poem's not bad at all," Mei Lin said.

Sakura snickered. "His poem sucks Mei Lin…"

_Denial, _a silent voice rang in her mind.

_"Then we come to see the world, in a different way._

_Things had changed, so they might say._

_The world runs on riddles and games,_

_In secret passages, and secret names._

_You could wish your life was a fantasy,_

_Or even a fairytale, from a book could be._

_You could always wish for genies in a lamp,_

_But the fact remains; they're only dreams that are trapped._

_Rain or shine, it may never change._

_The boundary that can make, people deranged._

_The line that separates us from the imaginary,_

_This little thing, we call 'reality'."_

As soon as Syaoran had finished writing his perfectly written poem, he sent a triumphant smirk Sakura's way.

"I win," he mouthed.

* * *

**Point Tally: Syaoran - 36, 484; Sakura - 0**

* * *

Sakura sulked, and from behind her, she could hear Ryu stifle a laugh. "Stop that!" she demanded.

"Right...right...pfft-" Ryu nearly choked. "But...yeah. You should've listened to me. I keep telling you Sakura, you'd never get to beat him."

Sakura frowned. "Look, if you're just gonna say something stupid, keep your blabber mouth shut and you'l be doing me a favor. Are you really a friend or what?"

"I'm just telling you the truth Sakura-chan."

"Yeah right," Mei Lin snickered. "Way to enlighten things up baka," she turned to Sakura. "Don't worry Sakura; the day's still long. You'd get to beat him..."

Her voice didn't sound the least convincing.

Sakura sighed. "I guess," she then grinned as dawning comprehension showed in her face. "Yeah, you're right! The day's still long! I'd get to beat him today, you guys just watch!"

"That's the spirit Sakura!"

* * *

_Five hours later..._

* * *

**Challenge No. 36, 599: Track and Field**

* * *

"Good luck Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo yelled.

"Tomoyo, your precious voice!" Mei Lin protested. "You might strain it. Let me do the shouting for you, okay?" she turned to front. "GO, SAKURA-CHAN! MAKE SURE TO KICK THAT DAMNED GAKI'S ASS FOR ME!"

Ryu could only groan as Mei Lin's standing figure completely blocked his view.

Cheers and hoots filled their track field as both Sakura and Syaoran took their respective places in the starting line. Sakura took a deep breath, then glanced at Syaoran from the corner of her eye. He seemed confident; no worries, no frets, or rather, showed not even the slightest sign of nervousness, contrary to how _she_ felt.

Easing herself, she then positioned herself, only one thing in mind: To win. There was no way she'd let herself get beaten again. She seemed cursed for heaven's sake, forever condemned in the stinking, second-rank spot. But now, she'd make sure she'd bag the first place. For a change. Relax, Sakura. Relax.

"Ready…" the stern voice of their P.E. trainer broke right through her imaginings.

Sakura's eyes narrowed.

"Set…"

She leaned forward.

"Go!"

And she dashed away.

Their spectators burst into clamors once more, clapping with all their might, yelling their bets and cheering for the two as both ran as fast as they could. But all these went ignored by Sakura as an overwhelming feeling washed through her. She couldn't see Syaoran, but she could hear footsteps quite a distance from behind her, which could only mean one thing.

She was winning.

"She's winning! Sakura-chan's winning!" Tomoyo exclaimed, standing amongst the crowd.

Mei Lin nodded. "Yeah, she is! All right!"

Ryu joined in. "Go, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura smiled. Joy? No. Happiness? No. The feeling was indescribable! Too wonderful to even put in words! Finally, after nine years of trying and trying and trying, she'd get to beat him for the very first time!

"She's winning!" Tomoyo repeated.

"She's winning!"

Syaoran's figure dashed past Sakura.

Tomoyo's face fell. "And…she's not…."

Sakura, still left stupefied, couldn't remember much what had happened, probably because it all occurred so fast. But she swore, she heard Syaoran say a soft "I win, Sakura," the moment he passed by her. The next thing she knew, they were already running up to Syaoran now in the finish line, congratulating him. Sakura slowed down, only a few meters away from the endpoint.

She had lost.

Just like what happened, nine years ago.

"Sakura…" Tomoyo whispered worriedly from afar.

Sakura panted hard, slumping down, hands on her knees supporting her.

She couldn't run anymore. She didn't want to actually. Besides, Syaoran had won already. Why bother?

"Oi oi…"

Sakura looked up to face him. "What? I know you won okay? You don't need to rub it in my face," she sullenly muttered, her emerald orbs refusing to meet his gaze.

"It's not that," he said. "The race. You didn't finish the race."

Sakura sighed as she straightened up. "…What's the point?"

Syaoran frowned. "That's not the Sakura Kinomoto I know. You can't just back down on a competition like that. No wonder you always loose."

"I'm tired."

"You're not worthy to be my rival, then."

Sakura merely turned her head away, making Syaoran quite worry for the dejected girl. Sakura was loosing hope; he could feel it. But he also knew the one thing which would fire her up again. Four words, to be exact.

"Oh well. Sucks to be you..." he grinned. "_Miss Rank Number Two._"

Sakura gasped. "What...did...you s-say?" she demanded softly, anger marks on her forehead, fists clenched and voice dripping with venom. She then looked up at him once again, her eyes burning with anger.

Literally.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" she boomed.

Syaoran smiled secretly to himself. "Only if you finish the race." He looked at her straight in the eye. "Besides, what's a challenge if one would just back out in the end?"

Sakura stared at him, pondering over his words momentarily. For a moment, she thought all hope was lost. For a moment, she thought she'd never be able to do it. For moment, she thought she never be able to set her mind to finishing this…_stupid…_race, now that Syaoran had won already. But who would've thought that it would actually be Syaoran himself, who'd encourage her to pursue her goal? She found the thought quite surprising.

Syaoran Li. Her rival.

What's a challenge if one would just back out in the end? He had said.

She smiled. "You're right, Syaoran…uh…Li."

"See? Told you so. Now go and finish this…_stupid_…race." He grinned.

Sakura laughed. Probably because he had said the word funnily, or maybe because he had nailed the word right on spot, unknowingly paralleling with hers.

"Sure! And thanks. Means a lot," she said as she sprinted off.

"No problem," Syaoran called ways behind her. "And…"

.

.

.

"BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME…_MISS RANK NUMBER TWO._"

"I AM NO—AAAHHHH!" she tripped.

Syaoran sweat dropped. "…_Klutz_…" he whispered.

"Hey…I HEARD THAT!"

* * *

**Point Tally: Syaoran – 36, 599; Sakura - ...still... _0_**

* * *

Sakura sighed softly as she strained to reach the finish line. She had lost. Again. Too many times she had actually lost count.

_Will things ever change?_

Well...

...it will.

* * *

**Challenge No. 36, 600: A game of love. Wait—WHAT?**

* * *

Sakura collapsed on one of their school's benches.

"Tired?" Syaoran, who had suddenly appeared with two bottles of cool water on both hands, asked as he took a seat beside her. "Here." He handed her a bottle.

"Thanks," Sakura replied in a hoarse whisper before gulping in quickly the water.

"Where are the others?"

She shrugged. "Don't know."

"Sakura."

"Mmm?"

"Are you sick, Sakura?"

Sakura raised a brow. "Why the sudden question?" she shot back.

He raised a brow. "...Not up for another challenge?"

"No…I'll pass."

"Really? _Not one?"_

"Yeah," Sakura answered firmly.

Syaoran shot her a disbelieving look. "Surprising. Are you sure?"

Sakura was starting to get annoyed. "Yes, I am sure," she mumbled lazily. "Besides, I can't think of anything right now. All I know is that, one, I'm tired, two, I'm tired, three, I'm tired, and four…uh…did I mention I'm tired?"

It was then when an idea dawned upon Syaoran, a grin spreading across his face as the thought popped into his mind.

This left Sakura perplexed. "What's with that smile? Seriously. It's creeping me out."

"I have, a challenge for y—"

"CHALLENGE? HA! I ACCEPT!"

Syaoran sweat dropped. "I'm not finished yet, Sakura."

"Bah. Who cares? That'd probably be a good one anyway. Besides, it's not that usual when you'd be the one to propose a challenge anyway. It's always me who's the…_determined_…one."

"So you accept?"

"Of course!"

"Anything?"

"Anything!"

"Really? Anything?"

Sakura felt a bit nervous. "O-okay…maybe NOT anything…but—"

"Just answer me. Yes, or no?"

"Um…yes…?" came Sakura's hesitant reply. "What is it anyway?"

"It's not actually a challenge. It's more of a deal actually…"

"Quite straying around and just tell me."

"Alright, fine. Here's the challenge. The deal is we'd _date_."

_Silence._

"Oh…alright then, that's easy enough," she paused. "Wait—WHAT? WE'D DATE? ARE YOU FREAKING SERIOUS?"

"Yep."

"HAVE YOU OFFICIALLY GONE NUTS? HUH, LI?"

"Last time I checked: Nope. I still have my insanity intact thank you very much."

"Whatever. AND WHAT'S WITH THAT ALL OF A SUDDEN?"

"Nothing really."

"…N-NOTHING?"

"Geez. Like, chill. It's only for a week."

"A WEEK? THAT'S SEVEN WHOLE DAYS! And how does DATING each other actually count as a rival-competition?"

"Listen. Here's the twist to that. Yeah, we'd date, go out and whatever. However, there is one rule to this."

"What?"

Syaoran grinned.

.

.

.

"The first one to fall in love, loses," he paused. "Deal?"

**-End of Chapter One-**

* * *

**A/N: **And so concludes chapter one! Yeah, I know. It's a ciffy! Again, I do not own the poem too by the way. It something my classmate wrote. :)))

Anyway, I'd love to hear from you reader! **Please review! PM me, if you want to. :DDDDDD**

**And please answer these questions:**

**-What should Syaoran and Sakura's other rivalry competitions be about? How should some of their dates go? Tell me your ideas, and I'll see if they'd do well with this! If ever your idea gets picked, I promise to mention you in my author's note for the help! :DDDD**

**Till next time! See you!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **And so, here it is! **Chapter Two**! Wohoooo! Sorry for the wait guys xD Anywaysss, **WOW! 13 reviews! Like, OMG, that is so awesome!** Thanks a million dear readers! **And keep 'em coming!** Reviews surely make my day!

**I would like to send my utmost gratitude to my sempai/beta-reader Sakura-chan Master of the Clow, and...**

**MANY THANKS TO THE REVIEWERS!**

_**littlepuppylost  
**_

_**James Birdsong**_

_**Lexi-chan**_

_**maniikuu**_

_(Thank you so much guys!)_

**_LLee_**

_(Wow! Two reviews! Thanks!)_

**_Rinail_**

_(Thanks for the ideas! I promise to make use of them.)_

**_Fashion Fairy_**

**_A CrazyPerson_**

_(Hehe...thanks; both of you *wink*.) _

**_TearsAndHeartbreak_**

_(Aww...I really appreciate it. Well, watch out for it, m'kay?)_

**_pricious7divil_**

_(I'm glad you found it good!)_

**_Ciaossu_**

_(Well hello to you too, fellow KHR fan! Yeah, it's too bad. But I like the ending!)_

* * *

**Anyway, that'd be all for now. I do not own CCS, SO LET'S GET ON WITH THIS, YEAAAAH! \m/**

* * *

_(Preview)__**  
**_

_"Listen. Here's the twist to that. Yeah, we'd date, go out and whatever. However, there is one rule to this."_

_"What?"_

_Syaoran grinned._

_._

_._

_._

_"The first one to fall in love, loses." He paused. "Deal?"_

* * *

**The Game of Love**

_By: Abby_

**Chapter Two**

* * *

_I have loved him ever since I could remember._

_I could still remember that day I had first gotten a glimpse of him—that seemingly weak and puny little boy, in a very important social function my mother had been invited too. There he stood still by his father's side, gaze distant, seemingly anti-social._

_That was what interested me._

_I had let go of my tight clasp at my mother's coat then as I made my way to him, yet a number of people passed by between us, and the next thing I knew, he had disappeared within the crowd._

_A week had barely passed when my eyes caught sight of him again by Penguin Park, sitting alone, just watching the other kids with a sullen scowl on his face as though playing with them wasn't worth his time._

_I found myself staring at him for what seemed like an eternity._

_His eyes…_

_They were a lovely shade of amber._

_The next was in the library. He was still alone, yet from where I sat, I could see his youthful features clearly. His eyes, his tousled chocolate brown hair, the stern look his face always had, quite unfitting for a young boy as he._

_I was left intrigued._

_I had started catching sight of him often since then, in different times, different places, yet still with that same distant amber eyes he wore back at the party. And I had been drawn, compelled to its golden brown color which seemed to give off an enigmatic, mystifying aura._

_That was when I had realized—I wanted to know him more. Who he was remained a mystery. But I wasn't going to let it stay that way._

_Mustering up enough courage, I slowly walked up to where he was after seeing him yet again by the ice cream store; ask him a thing or two about himself—his name perhaps._

_And I did._

_"Syaoran. Syaoran Li," he answered bluntly._

_I smiled as I said mine, and in that very moment, I thought a newfound friendship had formed between us, and maybe, just maybe, grow into something more._

_But I was wrong._

_In the years that I had known him, he had never looked me, nor at anybody, the way he looked at her. He never glanced my way. There he was, right in front of my eyes, right in the grasp of my hands, but he always slipped through my fingers like sand._

_They had such a perfect chemistry—who was I to step in between them?_

_"I love you."_

_Those were the words I have always wanted to say to him; the words I never could and never, ever should._

_Because to him, I was just another person—a familiar face, an acquaintance, a friend perhaps. Nothing more. Maybe less._

_But I was happy in seeing him smile, seeing him happy with her company, and for me, that was more than enough._

_But nothing would ever change._

_I have loved him ever since I could remember._

_I still do._

* * *

"Hmm…Magnesium…and Oxygen…" A pondering whisper as Mei Lin tapped her pen against her cheek, studying with all concentration despite all the noise in their school cafeteria. Her face fell. "Ugh…I can't get any of this."

"Something wrong?" a familiar, melodic voice chanted.

"Chemistry_—_Lewis structure. I can't get any of it~" Mei Lin whined.

"You can go and ask Ryu-kun for help. I mean, he's good in Science, and I'm sure he'd be more than happy to help you out."

"Yeah. Problem is, I can't find him anywhere."

"Then what about Li-kun? He's your cousin right?"

"We barely talk."

Tomoyo smiled a most charming, friendly smile as she sat beside her. "Then would you want _me_ to teach you then? Of course, I'm not as good as Ryu-kun and Li-kun but—" She was cut short as Mei Lin threw her arms around her neck.

"Are you kidding me? That'd be way awesome, Tomoyo-chan!" she piped.

A laugh. "Then let's get started shall we?" she said suggestively as she drew out a pen. "Magnesium and Oxygen huh? That's easy enough. Listen well Mei Lin-chan, alright?"

"Hai!" Mei Lin said, as she listened to Tomoyo word per word, brows furrowed in sheer determination. It took no more than ten minutes.

"Here, try this: Common name of Sodium Chloride?"

"Ooh! I know that! It's _table salt_, right?"

"Uh-huh. Now…want to give it a try?"

"You bet! Hmm…let's see now…" It took no more than a minute before Mei Lin shoved the paper in front of Tomoyo. "Alright! I've done it!" she cried with utmost delight.

Tomoyo smiled. "Great job!" she then glanced at her watch. "Oh, dear. Classes are about to start. Come on, let's walk to class together. Your next class is right next to mine after all."

Mei Lin nodded as she quickly gathered her things, then following closely behind Tomoyo. Halfway to their room, both were silent. Tomoyo could feel Mei Lin glance sideways at her every now and then. Yet she paid no heed. After all, she had gotten very used to being stared at.

She was one of those girls—the confident ones, the picture perfect girls in whom the golden gifts of intelligence and natural beauty had been bestowed upon. And with her wealth and most pleasing personality, it was easy to say that the _Young Mistress Tomoyo_ of the _Daidouji Familial _based all the way from Italy_, _had everything.

But in reality, that wasn't the actual case.

And as though her thoughts had unknowingly paralleled with the companion, Mei Lin suddenly asked, out of the blue.

"Say Tomoyo…have you ever wished for something you know you could never have?"

Tomoyo seemed taken aback. "…Huh?"

"I mean, look at you. You're smart, you're drop-dead gorgeous, and you're very kind and friendly. You're rich, you're talented—you're everything! You're perfect. You live a perfect life!" A smile. "Truth is, I feel really honored that someone like you hangs out with me…"

"O-oh…but…you compliment me way too much, Mei Lin-chan!" Tomoyo protested, her shy nature surfacing.

Mei Lin only grinned. "Humble eh? That's what I love about you." She slung an arm on the girl's shoulders. "Thanks for your Chemistry crash course a while ago by the way, I almost forgot."

"No problem. But…Mei Lin-chan…I didn't really quite get your question a while ago. It's a bit noisy you know, you could've said it louder…"

"Oh…that. Eh…it's just a random question that came to mind. You know, if ever there's still this one thing you want but you still haven't got it yet…"

"Oh…"

A laugh. "I know, I know. What a stupid question right? I shouldn't have asked. You probably get everything you want, ne?"

Tomoyo could only look away.

"Anyway, here's my stop," Mei Lin said as she paused in front of a door. "You should get going too, you might be late," she pushed open the door and entered.

A sigh.

A sad smile.

_You're wrong Mei Lin-chan…_

_You're wrong…_

And with this, she walked on, despite the sudden heaviness she felt on her chest.

* * *

"Uh…Kinomoto?"

Sakura's eyes shot open, only to see a worried Syaoran right in front of her, a hand waving as though trying to check whether her consciousness was still intact. "H-huh…wha—"

"The deal, Kinomoto. You haven't said your answer yet."

"O-oh right. The deal."

"…And…?"

Sakura twiddled her thumbs.

"No."

Syaoran raised a brow. "No?"

Sakura looked away nervously. "B-because I said so," she replied simply as though it explained everything. "Does that bother you?"

"N-no. Not really."

Startled by the sudden sting in his voice—frankly, he too had been surprised—Sakura instantly burst out into an apology. "I'mreallysorryIdidn'tagreeLi!" she said in one breath, then regretting soon after. God, she must've looked pretty stupid. She shouldn't be like this!

"Iie…I really don't mind. I was just surprised. May I ask why?"

Sakura fingers tensed.

Truth to be told, excitement tingled in her senses upon hearing the challenge, and had she not held back, she would've accepted it right away.

Yet however, one little thing stopped her…

…Which led her to recall a past memory, way back in fourth grade.

* * *

Voices…

* * *

_"So…who's this guy, you say? The one whom you have a crush on?"_

_"O-oh…that…it's…uhh…"_

_"Who?"_

_"Um…"_

_"Spill it!"_

_._

_._

_._

_"Syaoran. Syaoran Li."_

* * *

"Or would you rather not tell it?" he continued.

"Um…"

A shrug. "Hn. Guess that's a no then," he said coolly.

Sakura let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah. Sorry about that. But I have to admit, that was a really nice challenge. You're not mad at me for turning you down, right?"

Syaoran smiled. "Of course not. There are still loads of things out there I know I'd beat you at…" He turned his back against her and started walking away. "…_Miss Rank Number Two._"

Sakura's eyes gaped open, unblinking.

So did her mouth.

"See you in History," he added with a wave.

_Loading…_

_5…_

_4…_

_3…_

_2…_

_1…_

"…How many times do I have to remind you, you stupid jerk…" A pause. "...TO NEVER EVER CALL ME THAT! GET BACK HERE; I'M NOT YET DONE WITH YOU!"

* * *

_4:15 pm_

The students watched silently as their teacher finally put the cap back on her marker, before then facing class, motioning towards the words she had written on the board. "You'll be passing this in two weeks' time. You know the usual—Times New Roman, font size twelve, keep it plain and simple please, and make it thoroughly informative. Ten pages. No more, no less. You may leave after taking these down."

"Done!" Mei Lin whispered joyfully from her seat in back row, stuffing her things carelessly back into her bag and taking the allowed time to stretch her arms. She then caught sight of a sleeping Ryu right in front of her, frowning as she then kicked his seat.

"Huh? Wha—"

"The assignment, Ryu," she said sternly. "Copy it."

The boy practically shivered with fear under Mei Lin's hard stare. "Y-yes ma'am!"

"SOOOO!" Sakura then suddenly burst out, making almost everyone around her nearly jump of their seats. Syaoran, however, only threw a questioning look her way.

Mei Lin was quite taken aback. "Gee, will you stop doing that? You scare me."

"Eh heh. Sorry. But going back to topic, what were our assignments for tomorrow again?"

"English, 700-word essay."

"English, 700-word essay," Sakura repeated as she mentally jotted them down.

"Music, activity about transposition."

"Music, activity about transposition."

"Arts, Gothic Art painting."

"Arts, Gothic Art painting."

"And Math, long quiz in Advanced Algebra." –Syaoran.

"Long in quiz in Algebra. Got that." A pause. Sakura suddenly turned all glum and down-casted. "Man, I'm screwed~ How am I ever gonna pass that test?"

A shrug. "Oh it's not that hard Kinomoto."

A scoff. "Easy for you to say, Li."

Syaoran only smirked. "Alright, here's a tip: one little teeny weenie horizontal line between two numbers, means you subtract."

"Ooh! Greaaat! Suddenly I feel much better," Sakura cried exaggeratedly, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Thanks for the _veeeery_ helpful tip."

"Anytime," Syaoran grinned before then hitching his bag's strap onto a shoulder and walking off with an ever-so-cool demeanor. From the doorway, Sakura could see eighth-grader, Misa Yamato, an acquaintance, hand him an envelope.

"Ne…Sakura…want me to come over your place? We can study together," Tomoyo offered.

Sakura's eyes lit up. "Really? That would be great! But I can't really be sure. Onii-san might not agree. He hates crowds, you know him right?"

"So he still hasn't changed, huh?"

"Kinomoto," came a call. Syaoran.

"WHAT?" Sakura practically yelled.

"The envelope. It's for you."

"E-eh?"

Hesitantly, Sakura walked over to where Syaoran and Misa were before snatching the envelope from his hands.

Mei Lin, Ryu, and Tomoyo appeared behind her from nowhere, peering over her shoulder for a look.

"What is it?" Mei Lin asked.

Sakura trembled. "I-It's…it's…"

"A what?"

"A…a…p-probationary n-note…from sensei. Guys…if I don't score high on the Math exam tomorrow…" She gulped. "…I…I…might fail her subject."

Ryu and Mei Lin gasped. Tomoyo shot her a worried look. Syaoran frowned.

"But…when you fail…your rank will go lower!"

"And not only that…you might get moved to a lower class!"

Sakura started to grow worried. They were right. That one exam she had to take the next day…it was going to determine her worth as a student (and Li's rival). But how on earth was she going to pass that quiz?

"No, no, no, no. That won't happen!"

"Yeah! We won't let it! Right guys?"

"Right!"

A smile then graced Sakura's features, feeling lucky enough to have friends like them.

"And how exactly, are you gonna do that?" Syaoran's voice toned out.

"I…I don't know," she replied truthfully. "Guess I'll just have to study hard. Tomoyo might tutor me, but it's not really settled yet."

Syaoran shook his head. "Hmm…No…studying won't be enough. You need some motivation."

This perked up Sakura's interest.

"Whaddya mean?"

"If you can beat me in tomorrow's exam, you'll be cleared. But if you can't…"

"If I can't?"

"If you can't…"

.

.

.

"…I don't know. You think."

Sakura face-palmed. "Geez…for a moment there, I thought you had an idea," she cupped her chin. "Let's see now…"

A thought then crossed her.

_"What if…"_ she whispered, then looking up at the rival with all seriousness. "Alright. Here's the deal. If I can beat you in tomorrow's exam, I'll be cleared. But if I can't…"

Everyone stared at her eagerly.

* * *

Voices…

* * *

_"So…who's this guy, you say? The one whom you got a crush on?"_

_"O-oh…that…it's…uhh…"_

_"Who?"_

_"Um…"_

_"Spill it!"_

_._

_._

_._

_"Syaoran. Syaoran Li."_

* * *

Sakura gulped. "I'll…I'll…"

"GUYS! IT'S AN EMERGENCY!" an overly worried Yamazaki cried as he rushed into the room. He leaned by the doorway, panting, face very pale.

"Li…your…your cousin…Hiro…"

"Hiro? Why? What happened to him?" Syaoran asked with volume, alarmed.

"He…he…"

It didn't take long for Syaoran and the rest to realize what he meant. Without skipping a beat, he ran outside, and so did the others.

"SAKURA! YOU GUYS! HELP ME SEARCH FOR HIM!"

"WHERE?"

"I DON'T KNOW! JUST…FIND HIM!" He fished out his cell phone from his pocket, dialing their butler's number. It picked up. "WEI! WEI CAN YOU HEAR ME? HIRO'S MISSING…AGAIN! HOW CAN YOU LET SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPEN? DIDN'T I TELL YOU TO KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON HIM?"

Sakura casted him a worried glance. He was losing his cool.

He breathed, calming himself down. "Yeah yeah, we're on our way outside campus right now. Send some groups to look for him too!" He bit his lower lip, "Right. Fine." He hung up.

"You okay Li?"

"No. I'll be dead meat if Hiro's not found. That boy…wandering off again at times like these…"

"Sure reminds me of someone I know." Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Um…" Tomoyo spoke up. "We could, you know, split up to speed up the search…"

"Great idea."

"Hai."

* * *

A strange feeling hovered upon Tomoyo as she walked by the ever-so-familiar bricked path by Penguin Park, lavender eyes worried, looking around for signs of Syaoran's cousin.

"I hope he's okay…"

She then stopped on her tracks. The corners of her lips pulled up into a small smile, as she viewed the Park, unchanged and as beautiful as ever despite the years that had passed. Among the green fields, a couple of families had their picnics, by the swings played children, two of whom caught her eye in particular.

A game of tag.

Tomoyo watched them play, her eyes then setting set on a little boy their age not too far away, watching the other kids play with a sullen scowl on his face as though joining them would be a complete waste of time. Despite his youthful features, he seemed to hold an air of maturity. Very much like…

"You look familiar," he spoke upon sensing her presence, yet kept his eyes straight ahead. It took a few more moments before Tomoyo could compose herself, mainly because the boy was a splitting image…

…Of _him._

"Ah, yeah. I'm a classmate of your two cousins'…"

"I see. They're looking for me aren't they?"

Tomoyo nodded. "They're worried sick."

"Hey! You!" a voice called, a girl's, from behind them.

Both turned.

"Me?" the boy asked, quite irritated.

"Yes, you. Want to have a basketball match with me?" the girl challenged bravely.

"Sure you don't want to lose?"

The girl grinned. "To a weak and puny little boy like you? Ha! No way! I'm warning you, I'm the best in our neighborhood! You won't stand a chance!"

"You seem confident," the boy noted, before then standing up and stretching a little. "Fine then, I'll take you on. But don't come crying when you lose."

"Oh ho ho ho! Keep talking you skinny one! You'll be the one to cry after this!" The girl threw the ball at him. "Ready, set, GO!"

Tomoyo could only let out a chuckle, completely forgotten as the boy and girl dashed off, the possession of the ball alternating between them.

"Tomoyo-chaaaaaaaan!"

"Oh, hey guys."

Syaoran panted. "We've looked everywhere! Where could he be?"

A smile. "Look over there."

Sakura's eyes followed as to where she was directing at. She smiled. "H-Hiro-kun!"

"Hiro!" Syaoran called, as he then made to run up to the boy. Mei Lin stopped him.

"Don't. He's busy."

"He's not. He's just playing."

Tomoyo shook her head. "No. Look closer."

And Syaoran did as told. "A…a match?"

"Yep. Kind of like you and Sakura-chan."

Sakura fired up. "A MATCH? DID SOMEONE SAY 'A MATCH'? WHEN? WHERE? HA! I ACCEPT!"

A tug. "We were talking about Hiro."

"Hiro?" Sakura repeated. "Oh. I get it now! Wow Syaoran, look! Hiro's got a rival!"

Syaoran smiled. "Sure brings back memories does it?" He whistled. "The girl seems losing though…"

"Oh ho ho…we'll see!"

The ball rolled up to her feet. Curiously, she picked it up.

"Hey, old lady!" Hiro called.

Anger marks appeared on her forehead. "OLD LADY? I'M ONLY SIXTEEN YOU LITTLE PEST!" she yelled.

The two kids ran up to her.

"Ne, Old Scary Lady, that's our ball, please give it back."

Sakura got even more irritated, as she muttered through clenched teeth, "Hey Li…your cousin here has a pretty nice mouth, ne? Does he even recognize me?"

"He's obviously just pulling your leg, Sakura. Give the ball."

"Fine," Sakura said with the roll of an eye, as she threw the ball back at the boy, purposely strengthening the hit. He didn't seem to be affected though, for he caught it with ease.

Sakura's eyes twitched. "You know…Hiro reminds me of you. Like, seriously."

"I get that a lot."

They continued to watch the two kids as their match finally ended. The girl had lost.

A smirk. "See? What I tell 'ya."

"Whatever."

"Kind of like…_you._"

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU SAY, YOU—"

"The deal. You didn't get to finish saying your conditions a while ago."

"E-eh? Oh yeah!"

"So then?"

Sakura coughed, as she once again turned serious. "The deal is, if I get to beat you in the exam tomorrow, I'll be cleared."

Syaoran nodded in understanding.

"But if I can't…"

* * *

Voices…

* * *

_"So…who's this guy you say? The one whom you got a crush on?"_

_"O-oh…that…it's…uhh…"_

_"Who?"_

_"Um…"_

_"Spill it!"_

_._

_._

_._

_"Syaoran. Syaoran Li."_

* * *

Sakura blushed like mad, gulping as she burst out, "I'LL AGREE TO THAT SEVEN-DAY DATE-DEAL WITH YOU, LI SYAORAN!"

Mei Lin's eyes shot open. Ryu stared at her in disbelief. Syaoran smirked, amused…

...While Tomoyo could only gasp, before her eyes then gravitated towards the ground.

_I knew it…_

* * *

_xxxxxxxxx_

* * *

_I have loved him ever since I could remember._

_Yet I have also come to accept long ago, that this love would forever be one-sided. I knew he'd never look at me in a special way. He'd never see me other than an acquaintance._

_But why does it hurt—very much?_

_Heh. Maybe because…_

_I have loved him ever since I could remember._

_And…_

_I still do._

* * *

"Ne…Mei Lin-chan…I did some thinking about what you asked earlier. And…if you ask me…yes, there is something I want, but I still haven't got it yet."

"Eh? Really?"

"Uh-huh."

"Well…if you really want it, why don't you go for it?"

A sad smile. "Because…"

* * *

Voices…

* * *

_"So…who's this guy you say? The one whom you got a crush on?"_

_"O-oh…that…it's…uhh…"_

_"Who?"_

_"Um…"_

_"Spill it!"_

_._

_._

_._

_"Syaoran. Syaoran Li."_

_Sakura shot her friend a weird look. "EH? THAT JERK? ARE YOU SERIOUS?"_

_The girl beside her blushed a deep red. "P-p-please don't tell him!"_

_Sakura raised a brow. "Alright…? Fine, if you say so…"_

_"What about you?"_

_"Huh?"_

_"Don't you like him too?"_

_"NO! HA. NEVER IN MY WHOLE LIFE WOULD I LIKE THAT GUY! He's all yours. So, when are you gonna tell him?"_

_"I…I won't."_

_"EH? WHY NOT?"_

_"Because…"_

_…Of you, Sakura-chan…_

_She smiled a sad smile. "…I just don't want to."_

_"Hm. You know, I don't really get you sometimes, Tomoyo-chan. Say, maybe you're just hungry. Come on, let's grab a snack."_

* * *

Sleep didn't come to Sakura that night. She had drunk three mugs of coffee that night. As expected, Touya didn't approve Tomoyo coming over, so she studied by herself, not really sure whether she had understood the topics completely.

She couldn't sleep. But it wasn't the caffeine. Something else was bothering her.

"I'm sorry, Tomoyo-chan," she whispered. "But I promise, I will win this. I'll beat him tomorrow."

* * *

**A/N:** And, that's chapter two! Hope you liked it! **AND REVIEW!** Come on guys,** LET'S SUPPORT SAKURA IN HER** *stupid* **ALGEBRA EXAM! xDDDD We wouldn't want her kicked out in the top class now would we? xDDDD **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Hey! Here's chapter three! So yeah, not gonna be saying much, except...

**Happy happy birthday Emma ^.^ **(She's a really good friend of mine xD) I dedicate this to you :)))

**Thank you reviewers!**

_TearsAndHeartbreak_

_pricious7divil_

_Ciaossu_

_Fashion Fairy 26_

_OtakuThatIsMe_

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own CCS. **

* * *

_(Preview)_

_"So…who's this guy you say? The one whom you got a crush on?"_

_"O-oh…that…it's…uhh…"_

_"Who?"_

_"Um…"_

_"Spill it!"_

_._

_._

_._

_"Syaoran. Syaoran Li."_

_Sakura shot her friend a weird look. "EH? THAT JERK? ARE YOU SERIOUS?"_

_The girl beside her blushed a deep red. "P-p-please don't tell him!"_

_Sakura raised a brow. "Alright…? Fine, if you say so…"_

_"What about you?"_

_"Huh?"_

_"Don't you like him too?"_

_"NO! HA. NEVER IN MY WHOLE LIFE WOULD I LIKE THAT GUY! He's all yours. So, when are you gonna tell him?"_

_"I…I won't."_

_"EH? WHY NOT?"_

_"Because…"_

_…Of you, Sakura-chan…_

_She smiled a sad smile. "…I just don't want to."_

_"Hm. You know, I don't really get you sometimes, Tomoyo-chan. Say, maybe you're just hungry. Come on, let's grab a snack."_

* * *

_Sleep didn't come to Sakura that night. She had drunk three mugs of coffee that night. As expected, Touya didn't approve of Tomoyo coming over, so she studied by herself, not really sure whether she had understood the topics completely._

_She couldn't sleep. But it wasn't the caffeine. Something else was bothering her._

_"I'm sorry, Tomoyo-chan," she whispered. "But I promise, I will win this. I'll beat him tomorrow."_

* * *

**The Game of Love**

_By: Abby_

**Chapter Three**

* * *

Mei Lin paced back and forth by the narrow gaps between chairs, her every movement closely followed by the keen yet confused eyes of her friends. Tomoyo shifted nervously in her seat, growing uncomfortable with every minute of silence that passed.

"Oi, Mei Lin, something wrong? You've been like that the whole time," Ryu deadpanned.

"Sakura…Sakura-chan…" she muttered. "I'm worried…"

"…"

"What if she wasn't able to study properly last night?"

"…"

"What if she fails?"

"…"

"What if she gets kicked out of our class?"

"…"

"WHAT IF SHE NEVER GETS TO BEAT LI, IN, **ANYTHING?**"

"Okay, okay, calm down, _breathe _Mei Lin, _breathe_," Ryu said. "Remember? We said so ourselves. We are NOT gonna let that happen."

"Yeah, we did say that, but did we actually do anything to help her? No!"

Tomoyo fell into a thoughtful silence before gasping as though an idea had dawned upon her.

Mei Lin briskly turned to her. "What? What is it, Tomoyo-chan? Have you thought of something?"

"It's just a suggestion, but…"

Everyone's eyes shifted to Ryu, who in turn raised a brow.

"H-hey…you know, it's rude to stare." A nervous pause. "…Uhh…guys…?"

* * *

Math. Oh how she despised that word—that very same word which would always bring her a feeling of nausea, struck fear in her at the mere mention of it, and a feeling of helplessness which would always overcome her whenever she actually tried solving a single Math problem.

And today was no exception. Sakura was already stabbing the pencil against the piece of paper which sat by her desk as she wrote, creating a huge mess of scrawled numbers, eyes narrowing as she tried to make sense of things.

No good.

Teeth clenched, her grip on the pencil grew tighter, anger slowly running through her veins as she once again went through the question.

Ryu sighed. "Still don't get it eh? Here, let me explain it again."

Sakura inhaled deeply, the droning voice of her friend cutting sharply right into her hazy mind. Still, no good. Her emerald eyes, no longer focused, completely clouded with anger, shone with an inner steel as Sakura broke the pencil into two.

"Shit," she muttered in a soft, low voice, before then tweaking it up what seemed to be five octaves higher as she broke into a fit. "GAAAAH! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! WHERE DO YOU GUYS EXPECT ME TO USE THIS IN REAL LIFE? WHERE, DAMMIT, WHERE?! IN THE GROCERY STORE? YEAH RIGHT, LIKE HELL I'M GONNA USE THIS CRAP WHEN I'M CALCULATING HOW MANY FREAKIN' POTATOES I NEED TO BUY!"

Both Mei Lin and Ryu went up to her, straining to push her back down on her seat.

"O-oi, Kinomoto! Keep it down will 'ya?" Ryu commanded, quite annoyed at how the girl could have such a short patience.

"Yeah. Sakura-chan, don't let yourself get too stressed out by a sample problem Ryu gave you!" Mei Lin added, before exasperatedly muttering. "Here comes her feisty self again. This side of her always appears when it's something Math-related…"

Despite both their desperate attempts to calm her down, Sakura proved stronger as she furiously brushed them off with a violent shake of the arms. "IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE SAMPLE PROBLEMS, IDIOTS!" Her eyes flared as she assumed a determined pose with one foot on a chair and a fist brought up. "I'M TALKING ABOUT JUSTICE. FREAKING. JUSTICE! THIS SUBJECT HAD ALWAYS BEEN THE FEAR OF EVERY STUDENT, AND MARK MY WORDS, I'M GONNA PUT AN END TO ALL THIS TORMENT! SOMEDAY, I WILL, YOU JUST WATCH!" And she breathed out flames along with a heartfelt roar, tearing the paper into shreds as she did so.

Ryu rolled his eyes. "Look Kinomoto, if you really can't do it, JUST AGREE TO THE DATE!" he yelled, trying to drown out the girl's mindless outburst.

"OH SHADDAP!" Mei Lin growled at him. "WEREN'T YOU SUPPOSEDLY **HER TUTOR?** SAKURA WILL PREVAIL, I KNOW IT. RIGHT? SAKURA, YOU'LL WIPE THAT SMIRK OFF HIS FACE, RIGHT?"

**"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"**

Ryu snickered, trying his best to ignore all the noise Sakura was making. "Well that sounds more like a 'no' to me! So, plan B?" he yelled.

_("MATH'S A STUPID PIECE OF CRAAAAP!")_

"We don't have a plan B!" Mei Lin yelled back, voice barely audible. "We'll stick with Tomoyo's plan of tutoring Sakura!"

_("DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIeEeEeEeEeEeE!")_

"We're gonna get killed! No. Correction. _I'M_ GONNA GET KILLED! BESIDES, WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE ME?"

"BECAUSE OF YOUR MATH SKILLS!"

_("ARGGHHHHHHHH!")_

"Well yeah, but how the hell am I supposed to teach her WHEN SHE'S GONE COMPELTELY BERSERK!"

"I'm sorry if my suggestion failed guys!" Tomoyo too was yelling, much to Mei Lin's protest.

"Don't worry! It's all right Tomoyo-chan!"

"WHERE IS THE JUSTICE IN THIS?! ANSWER ME, INFERIOR BEINGS! WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEERE?!"

The three sighed.

Sakura was then instantly silenced as a crumpled paper hit the back of her head. She need not ask who it was as she quickly turned and pointed an accusing finger at…

…Him.

Syaoran Li.

Ever so calm and composed as he went through his Math textbook with bored eyes.

She bristled like a riled tiger. "OI, GAKI! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR, HUH?"

First, there was a sudden silence. Everyone's gaze shifted from the raging girl to the nearly asleep boy, eyes glinting with anticipation at what could possibly happen next. After all—each day in Tomoeda High was bound to be anything but ordinary with the two always fighting and bickering and competing their whole day through.

A yawn.

"Look, I'm trying to study here, so please keep it down, annoying lady," he answered bluntly. "And we're not inferior beings. Science topic, chapter sixteen, lesson three in our textbook: Taxonomy—_'All of us exist in this world equally as fellow human beings'_. Which means, there is no such thing as 'superior' and 'inferior', Miss Kinomoto."

Sakura narrowed her eyes as she coolly retorted, "Well, my utmost apologies, Mister Li." Her words didn't seem the least sincere. "But '_There is no such thing, as 'no such thing'._—Logic, chapter four, lesson one: Reasoning."

A stunned silence occurred.

There were several unspoken rules when it comes to being one's rival, and as Sakura finished her sentence with what seemed to be a triumphant smirk, both knew. They could sense it—the start of yet another non-stop, continuous rivalry feud. It was a silent pact they had unknowingly developed through their years of rivalry, understood by both parties, though begrudgingly.

Syaoran smiled. "My, my…could this be another challenge?" he asked.

Sakura feigned hurt. "I'm disappointed. Shouldn't you have figured that out by now? This is no challenge, Syaoran Li." She smirked. "This is war."

* * *

**WORLD WAR III: Commence, start! **_(Hell yeah!)_

* * *

**Challenge No. 36, 600: Hand-to-hand combat**

* * *

And so, chaos erupted.

Mei Lin, Tomoyo, and Ryu could only watch the scene as still as stones, completely dumbfounded, eyes shifting alternately between the two as they spoke.

It was like a fierce tennis match, with the opposing sides throwing witty retorts back and forth, one after the other, and as the three watched with every bit of exasperation on their stunned faces, neither had the remote idea of what to do even in the slightest bit. It was almost impossible—only having what seemed to be a split second to be able to come up with something right after the other. Yet they did it with ease, for with people such as Syaoran Li and Sakura Kinomoto, the word "impossible" was a non-existent one.

"Messy-haired idiot."

"Hm. Like you're one to talk."

"Hell yes I am! At least I know, what a 'comb' is for."

Syaoran let out a cough._ "A strip of plastic, metal, or wood with a row of narrow teeth, used for untangling or arranging the hair—_straight from the dictionary, word per word," came his apathetic, drawling voice as he recited. "So…you were saying?"

"ARRRRRGGGH!"

From the side-lines, Mei Lin face palmed. "And so, the Algebra exam later, comes forgotten," she murmured. "Sakura won't pass if this keeps up."

One thing occurred after another, and the next thing they knew, their little "battle" had then gotten physical. She pushed through the door; he made sure to get her stuck, pushing his shoulder against her. She used her foot to try and trip him; he dodged it easily. They kept on pushing against each other, not even caring anymore about getting in or out of the doorway, one side simply concentrating on hurting the opponent, while the other swiftly evading the _attacks_directed to him.

"You hit like a girl."

"I AM a girl, idiot."

Syaoran faked surprise. "You are?"

"AND WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?"

Syaoran smirked as he easily dodged the girl's punch aimed for his head.

Sakura frowned. "Hey! Don't just dodge! Fight back!"

"Sorry, but I'll pass. I don't hit girls."

A scoff. "I thought you thought I was boy," Sakura then lunged forward with all her might. Syaoran moved away so quickly it almost seemed like he disappeared into thin air.

A gasp.

_W-when did he…?_ _Oh shit._

She fell forward.

"Ow. Must have hurt, ne?" he mocked.

She glared. "Don't think you've won yet, Li; THIS. ISN'T. OVER."

"You really don't know when to give up do you?"

"Weren't you the one who told me that?"

"Hn. Guess I did," he responded, extending out an arm.

"What's that for?"

"Offering to help you up obviously."

"Sod off," Sakura snorted as she stood up on her own, purposely ignoring Syaoran's hand. "I don't need your freaking help. Otherwise, it'd be a sign of my defeat. I told you already, didn't I? This isn't over yet."

A smirk graced Syaoran's lips as he withdrew his hand. "Hai, hai. Heard you loud and clear…"

Sakura frowned, knowing what was next. Oh God. Please no.

"…Miss Rank Number Two."

Worst suspicions confirmed.

"But for now, this first sector is my win, okay?"

* * *

**Point Tally: Syaoran – 36,600; Sakura – 0**

* * *

"Anyway, see ya' later," he said as he waved with minimal movement before walking away.

And as usual, she was the one to burst into a rage of fury. "THE NAME'S KINOMOTO, BAKA!" she yelled to this retreating back. Her eyes then lingered to the large school clock which stood by the middle of their school grounds. 10:08, it read. As in, two more minutes before her Music class starts.

"Shit. We're late," she whispered. _Damn that guy._ "Teme…"

.

.

.

"I'LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THIS, SYAORAN LI! GYAAAAAAAA!"

* * *

And so, their day continued, like any other not-so-ordinary day, at their not-so-ordinary school—Sakura and Tomoyo dashed off to Music, while Mei Lin walked her way to Chemisty.

The ruby-eyed girl could only gulp with nervousness.

For Sakura, it was Math.

Yet to Mei Lin, the subject she found the hardest was Chemisty. Yes, Chemistry. Truth to be told, Mei Lin really had no expertise—just some average student who manages to get by with average grades. Her forte, perhaps, might be sports, yet still far off from Sakura's level. More so, Syaoran's.

And that was what pissed her off ever since then.

_Syaoran Li this; Syaoran Li that._ _Why can't you be more like Syaoran? _Damn it, she was always being compared to that cousin of hers! Though in the years that she had grown up with Syaoran's achievements rubbed into her face every so often, she had, honestly, gotten used to it all and could only shrug the thought off. She could care less.

Still, sharing the same class with him, and only him, in that very subject she had very much hated…

She found it most disturbing.

Good thing it was only for an hour. She'll endure. Probably.

* * *

"Benzene?"

"C, subscript 6; H, subscript, 6."

"Very good."

The door burst open.

"Sorry I'm late sensei!"

"Ah, Mei Lin," the teacher acknowledged. "Please. Take your seat and we shall proceed."

The girl nodded, then scanning the current scene before her. Syaoran was standing up. Obviously, he had answered yet another of their teacher's tricky questions. She could only roll her eyes at the thought before doing as told as she carelessly dropped her bag on the floor and sat comfortably on her chair, her mind drifted off into the land of dreams…

Syaoran frowned at her sleeping figure.

"Class, we'll be having an activity today…"

The school bell then rang, cutting right through Mei Lin's half-awake consciousness. A small smile appeared on her lips as she grabbed her bag and made her way outside.

"Oi…tell me, until when are you gonna keep ignoring me?" the ever-so-familiar voice of her cousin interrupted.

She shrugged. "I don't know," she answered vaguely on purpose. She was in no mood to talk, especially since she had been very much bummed in managing only a seven out of fifteen in their Chemistry activity for that day, when Syaoran aced it with ease, giving yet another reason for the Li elders to sneer at her. Of course, she wasn't that stupid to actually brag a failing grade to them, neither does Li, and it was always a wonder to both as to how their elders get a hold of information about their performances in school. Connections, most probably, but they were in Hong Kong, so they really couldn't be sure.

"Until necessary, I guess," Mei Lin continued in response to the boy's question earlier.

"You seem to be in a bad mood…"

"Ah, yeah, well, you wouldn't understand. I mean, you're good in everything you do."

"That's not true. You were half-asleep when you were answering the activity. You were bound to get a lot of mistakes. I should know. I was the one who checked yours."

"Whatever," Mei Lin shrugged once more. "Anyway, shouldn't you be meeting up with Sakura right now? From what I remember, you still have to finish your match."

"Ah, yes. Thank you for reminding me."

"Break a leg."

Syaoran raised a brow. "Wow. Quite unusual for you to bid me luck."

"Nah. I meant it literally. You know, like, _really_ break your leg and let Sakura win even for just one freaking time."

There was no sarcasm in her voice. Just blunt; a teeny tiny bit angry and irritated, but mostly blunt.

"Never change, do you?"

"Should I?"

It was question Syaoran need not answer.

Because Mei Lin had already made up her mind.

And he secretly awed her for that—being able to live her life as she pleased despite their elders' protests.

Of course, he'd never tell her that.

* * *

**Challenge No. 36, 601: Concentration Ability**

* * *

_(English class)_

"Writers—?"

"—Write."

"Singers—?"

"—Sing."

"Runners—?"

"—Run."

"Fingers—?"

"—Fing." A pause. "AUGH, DAMMIT! THAT WAS A NASTY TRICK!"

"No it wasn't. Just means you're not paying attention, Kinomoto. This is a concentration contest, remember? Shall we now call it _'my win'_ then?"

A defeated sigh.

* * *

**Point Tally: Syaoran – 36,601; Sakura – 0**

* * *

"Li. Kinomoto," the stern voice of their teacher rang as he folded his arms in one swift move. "May I ask what's so important back there, that you'd rather have that discussion instead of listening to mine?"

"Uh…well…eheh…"

"Oh, it's nothing important sensei," Syaoran confidently cut in. "Please accept our apologies, and sorry for the interruption. So…may we continue with _your_ discussion?"

"Yes, yes. Very much…_yes._" And the teacher turned her attention back to the whole class.

"Tsk. Whatever," Sakura whispered. "I swear to God, I'll beat you the next time."

"You know, I've heard that, like, _36,601_ times already."

Sakura madly reddened with embarrassment. "Humph!"

* * *

"Alright! So, now we have plan B!" Mei Lin said determinedly, as soon as she, Tomoyo and Ryu had met up at the cafeteria.

"We have?" the other two chorused.

"Ha. Of course! After all, the next person other than Sakura who probably wants to see Li defeated…" she said and her ruby eyes glinted, "…is me."

Tomoyo tugged her shirt. "Look. It's Sakura-chan."

"Ah! Then we shall put our plan into action! GET HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER!"

* * *

Sakura pouted all her way to the cafeteria, with a pool of thoughts in her mind. It was only when she heard an ear-splitting…

_"…GET HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER!"_

…And the feeling of three pairs of hands clasped tightly on her arms dragging her back...

…She knew…

* * *

_A smile. "Heh. These idiots…"_

* * *

…That she might actually win this time.

* * *

_"So they've come to help me again. Meh…they always do…"_

* * *

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

* * *

"OKAY, LISTEN UP HERE, KINOMOTO. THE EXAM IS ALMOST UP, AND WE'RE GONNA BE TUTORING YOU FROM THIS POINT ON UNTIL TIME COMES!"

"Tutor? Wait…WE'RE SKIPPING CLASSES?"

Tomoyo blinked. "Oh, didn't you know? When you're in danger of being in probation, you can actually skip classes you've got high grades in, to study and make-up for the low ones. Mei Lin only remembered it at the last moment, and so she sent excuse letters to the teachers." A sigh. "If we had remembered it earlier, it would've been better. Oh well."

"Wow. I didn't know there was such rule. That's quite unusual."

"Well. This is Tomoeda High we're talking about. Everything in here is quite out of the ordinary."

"Yeah," Ryu groaned. "Including the cafeteria food."

Everyone laughed.

"Oh, wait. But…what about you guys then?" Sakura raised a brow. "You weren't sent a probationary note right?"

Mei Lin smiled reassuringly. "We can manage. I mean, a few low grades on our cards won't hurt much." She frowned. "But you? Oh no, no, no. You must never…ever, ever, ever, eeeeever, ever, ever, ever, eeeever—"

"Alright, alright!" Sakura interrupted. "I get, I get it! Geez."

Silence.

"Uhhh, guys? Isn't this the part where you start already?"

"Oh. right. Yes, it is. Ryu, what do we do?"

Ryu's eyes widened. "Huh? Why are you asking me? Isn't this Daidouji's idea?"

Tomoyo shook her head. "Uh, yeah…but I thought Mei Lin-chan had it all planned and…"

Sakura threw them a blunt stare. "So you guys haven't thought of anything at all aside from practically abducting me and bringing me here?"

"Eheh…well…"

Another silence occurred.

A sigh. "Alright. Let me help you out on this one. It's the formulas that I don't get. Maybe you should start by teaching me those things first before moving to word problems?"

"Right then! Ryu!"

The boy nodded. "Hai!" He grabbed piece of paper and wrote in it. "Look here. This is the main formula you'll be using. You just need to substitute the values to it, and solve. Tomoyo, give some example problems."

"Right. Um…let's see now…"

Sakura smiled.

* * *

_"Ahh…here we go again. I'm really thankful to have friends like them…"_

* * *

_(Half an hour later…)_

"So, do you get it now?"

"Ah CRAP! I DON'T UNDERSTAND ONE. FREAKING. BIT!"

"Maybe we should take a break."

"Yeah, maybe. Come on…" The three turned to Sakura…

…Who had already dashed off to who-knows-where. "Sakura...?"

"ALRIGHT! YOU JUST WAIT LI, I'M GONNA GET YOU THIS TIME!"

"And…she's gone," the three chorused.

* * *

**Challenge No. 36, 602: Hand-to-hand combat...Eh? Again? Oh dear...**

* * *

"OI, LI!" Sakura called out as soon as she had caught sight of the amber eyed rival eating alone at the cafeteria.

"What? Honestly, Kinomoto, you show up at the most inconvenient of times," Syaoran responded bluntly, not even bothering to glance Sakura's way. "Can't you at least, give me a schedule of your unlikely appearances?"

"Oh get used to it! Like I said, I'm gonna grab any opportunity to beat you."

"Right; if you can. Anyway, I have to warn you, I'm in a really foul mood at the moment, I might lash out my anger on you."

"You got a failing grade?" Sakura piped hopefully.

"Ha. You wish."

"Then maybe—"

"It's just as I said; I'm in a foul mood."

Sakura grinned mischievously. "That time of the month?"

"Shut up, stupid."

"Hey! That's my line! Anyway, hah! All the better that you're in a bad mood! Means you won't be able to focus that much!"

And so, once again, she lunged forward.

He quickly stepped aside.

But she wasn't going to let that happen—falling down alone. And so, she took him with her, grabbing his arm. They were a mess of elbows and limbs on the floor. Yet they went on, completely oblivious to the amused watching crowd. She grabbed his collar, he gripped her shoulders, engaging in what seemed to be a tug-of war..._on the floor._ Their eyes locked for a split-second, and then were back on it again.

Though Syaoran felt dissatisfied for some reason. The way Sakura moved, dodged, fought seemed different…_weaker_.

Sakura tried to land a punch, Syaoran blocked it, then taking advantage of Sakura's surprised stupor to get her off him, yet making sure she wouldn't be able to get up all the same. The next thing they knew, Syaoran's standing figure loomed over Sakura's fallen one. With one last glance at her pitiful state, he turned his back against her and paced away.

"OY!" she called after him. "WE'RE NOT DONE YET!"

Syaoran frowned. "Oh, I think we are. Besides, don't you have your Algebra exam to take care of?"

Sakura's eyes widened. "Oh…right."

"Don't tell me you actually forgot…"

Sakura gulped.

Syaoran breathed as he fixed his sleeves. "As I said, I'm in a foul mood. And to think that you actually decided to take advantage that…of your opponent's weakness…doesn't it make you feel ashamed of yourself? We decided to play a fair fight since the beginning, right?"

His words bore right through Sakura.

"You performed badly this time Sakura—you weren't able to inflict even just one scratch. Continuing this would be pointless. Just go study for the exam later," he said, disappointment obvious in his voice before walking away.

He paused.

"And…don't push yourself too hard. Worrying about the after-results than the exam itself would likely lead to failure. I wouldn't like to see that."

Sakura could only stare at his back as he then disappeared from sight, feeling the worst she could possibly have.

She had lost.

And she knew it.

* * *

**Point Tally: Syaoran – 36,602; Sakura – 0**

* * *

_Had she really been pushing herself too hard?_

_Had she been more worried about…'that'…rather than passing the exam itself?_

_And to think she decided to take advantage of Syaoran's dishelved thinking at the current moment due to his foul mood…UGH! SHE COULDN'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!_

A hand aided her as she stood up. "Come on, Sakura," Tomoyo whispered sadly. As a close friend, of course, she had to take a share of Sakura's pain. "Let's just continue with the tutoring session, okay?"

"O-okay..."

* * *

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

* * *

"Oh dear, we're really, really sorry, Sakura, but our next class is Gym. Well, we really can't skip it because there's a practical test today, and…"

"Oh, don't worry. It's alright. I mean, a long time has already passed after all."

From far off, they could hear the school bell ring followed by the students' whoops and cheers by the sports field right beside their study area. Tomoyo and Ryu exchanged worried looks. Mei Lin shot Sakura an apologetic stare.

"But, you're still quite confused, and…"

"I said don't worry." Sakura smiled. "I'll manage. You just go. I don't really want to be blamed upon if you guys get a failing grade in Gym."

"Alright." The girl nodded hesitantly. "But I promise, right before the exam, we'll make a run through to see if you remember."

"Thanks. But…please…"

The scenery from before flashed in her mind.

Sakura's hands closed into a fist. "I…I promise, I'll try my best." She sent a reassuring smile their way, and then laughed. "So please don't give up on me, alright?"

_...Because Syaoran already did..._

"Hah. Course not! You won't either, right?"

"Never do."

Sakura watched as the three then took off.

"Gym, eh? Wow, for once, I'm actually skipping it," she whispered as she resumed on answering the sample problems.

A frown.

"Shit, my pen's out of ink."

She muttered incoherent curses under her breath as she rummaged through her bag. "Pen…pen…pen…" she mumbled repeatedly as though it was a foreign word. "Gah, no luck." A realization hit upon her. "Locker. Yes, the locker. I know I stored some extra pens in there just in case."

She walked along the halls as quietly as possible, past classes quite awkwardly. It was her first time doing it—actually skipping classes. Of course, she had a valid reason, and won't affect her records whatsoever. But still, it bothered her.

"Wow, I can't believe the halls are _this_ quiet in between classes."

Not one soul can be seen.

She actually liked it.

Then catching sight of her locker _(#161)_, she ran the rest of the way, entering the code and propping it open. "Ah! Pens!" she cried with relief as she grabbed two. "Wait a minute…"

A note was plastered on the inside of the metal door.

"_Formulas_…" it read. "…Huh? Oh my God, I need these!" she cried happily as she snatched it and looked through it as though it was check worth millions. "A complete list. Awesome!"

But who would…

Oh yeah! She remembered. She accidentally told Tomoyo her password.

"So it's those three…" A chuckle. "Man, they sure are idiots…"

_"Still, I'm glad…"_

_._

_._

_._

_"I don't know what I'd do without them."_

* * *

___xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

* * *

_Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock._

Mei Lin, Ryu, and Tomoyo watched the clock tick with nervous eyes. They had finished the test minutes ago—it wasn't that hard actually. And then they would glance at Sakura from the corner of their eyes, and couldn't help but get worried. She seemed to be having a hard time. She wasn't finished yet.

Five more minutes.

Mei Lin gulped. "Think she's okay?"

"Don't worry, she'll be fine," Tomoyo said.

"Think those formulas helped?"

"Of course! It was a complete list, wasn't it? I'm sure Sakura will do just fine."

A wave of relief then passed through them as they saw Sakura stand up and pass her paper just in the nick of time. She seemed to be really tired. Solving all those problems must've totally drained every bit of energy she had.

The bell soon rang, and the three instinctively ran up to her.

They broke into continuous rants, bombarding her with questions.

"So, how was it?"

"Were you able to answer all the problems?"

"No, forget _all_. Were you able to answer _most_ of the problems?"

"Were you able to answer even just one problem?"

"What about number 16? That was a hard one."

"And 28?"

"Have you solved them?"

"So…"

"HAVE YOU?" they chorused.

Sakura remained still, completely stupefied. _"Did…did they…r-r-rehearse…t-this?"_

She then frowned. "OI! STOP IT! YOU KNOW I HATE BEING LOOKED DOWN UPON!" She crossed her arms. "Don't insult my wits. All I needed were those formulas and I'm good to go."

"So it helped huh? Tomoyo snuck it in right after we left for Gym."

"Yeah. Sure did. Thanks. And, oh yeah…"

.

.

.

A smirk. "Number 16 and 28? Ha. Didn't even break a sweat."

* * *

**JUDGEMENT TIME**

* * *

**Challenge No. 36, 602: Algebra exam**

* * *

A tensional silence hovered over the four of them as they sat by their usual hang-out place, at a certain bench in the school field right under the shade of a tree. Mei Lin twiddled with her thumbs, Tomoyo sat still, face quite red, and beside her sat Syaoran, who was reading William Shakespeare's Macbeth for their book review. Sakura, on the other hand, chose to sit at the three's branch as she swung her legs back and forth, Ryu was missing. Well, not really. Everyone knew he was probably at the cafeteria grabbing some snacks.

"Li-sempai! Kinomoto-sempai!"

Sakura hopped down. "Ah! Yamato-san!"

Misa smiled. "I'm so glad I caught up with you! Here," she handed them a pile of papers. "Those are your papers. Sensei asked me to hand it out to everyone in her class."

"Thanks!" Sakura grinned as she excitedly fished out her paper from the pile. "Here it is!"

"Li-sempai got a perfect score as always…as for Kinomoto-sempai…"

Everyone stared at Sakura.

"S-so…?" Mei Lin asked. She peered over. Her face fell. "Oh. A 92 percent. We're sorry Sakura…"

Sakura smiled. "Sorry? For what? Oi, oi, I got a 92. Aren't you happy for me? Didn't we already talk about this a while ago? Right after exam?"

"But…doesn't that mean you lost?"

A shrug. "Oh well. There's always next time. Right, Li?"

A smile. "Well said, Kinomoto. Well said."

Sakura breathed in the cool air. She wasn't angry. She wasn't disappointed. Not one bit of any negative emotion she would usually feel when she loses to her rival. In fact, she actually felt satisfied.

"And…oh yeah," Misa spoke. "Kinomoto-sempai, sensei wants to see you. Probably to congratulate you for a high grade."

"Hai! Oi, Li, next time, okay?"

"As you wish. Anyway, you aren't mad?"

"Eh. No."

"Really? No outbursts this time?"

"None. I've been thinking about it a lot, and I realized it's not so bad to be defeated by a guy like you. Looking back at our past competitions, I can't help but laugh at myself because I looked like such an idiot whenever I get all angry and mad. I remember that fight we had back there. I must've looked very pitiful, ne?"

"So finally noticed, huh?"

"HEY!"

"Sensei's waiting for you. Maybe we can save this argument for later?"

"Fine, fine. Anyway, so that means I'll be dating you for seven days huh?"

"Oh about that. You don't have to do that."

"EH?"

"Drop that look, it doesn't suit you. Anyway, I only agreed to that deal for you to study harder. So it worked, huh?"

"But…I didn't beat you…"

"A ninety-two is good enough for me. Sensei's waiting for you, Sakura. Shouldn't you run along now?"

Sakura shot a skeptical look at Syaoran.

Syaoran raised a brow. "What? Something wrong?"

"Nothing. So wait, if I'm not gonna go on a date with you, then whose win will this be?"

"Mine of course. I mean, I did score higher than you, right?"

"Heh. I knew you'd say that." A grin. "Right then, off to sensei's office. Catch you later guys!"

And with this, Sakura took off.

Mei Lin breathed, right after the girl was no longer in sight. She awkwardly stepped closer to Syaoran. Syaoran raised a brow at her unlikely gesture. A few minutes of silence passed, until Mei Lin then spoke.

.

.

.

"How long are gonna keep that act?"

"What do you mean?"

"Oh stop playing innocent. That list of formulas. It wasn't Tomoyo's handwriting, ne, Tomoyo-chan?"

The lavender-eyed girl blushed, looking away.

Syaoran smirked. "Looks like you're smarter than what they give you credit for."

"Aren't you gonna tell her?"

"Should I?"

I was a question Mei Lin need not answer.

Because Syaoran had already made up his mind.

She folded her arms. "You're an idiot, you know that?"

"Hm. Guess I am. Anyway, I'm heading home. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah. See you."

* * *

Sakura walked down the hall to their teacher's office, the list of formulas still in her hands. Since dismissal had long passed, it was nearly empty, and along with the orange glow of the setting sun passing through the large glass windows, Sakura couldn't help but feel relaxed.

She then brought up the paper to her face, scanning it with bored emerald eyes.

"Ah, he's really insulting my wits, is he?" she muttered. "Did he really think I wouldn't figure it out? Gee, what an idiot."

.

.

.

_"Still, idiots like them…_

_...They make the perfect friends…_

_…And rivals."_

* * *

___xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

* * *

_(Hong Kong)_

"That boy…he skipped classes, eh? He's fooling around again!" a stern voice rang throughout an empty, cavernous room, breaking right through the stillness of the dark place. It was then followed by bad coughs.

"Please, dear, lie down and rest." A woman's.

"I can't! Not when…" A cough. "Not when…"

"Li-sama," a third voice rang. "I do not wish to interfere, but I think it's best if you do what Yelan-sama says. Please don't worry about your son, I promise he'll be taken care of. I'll find him a suitable bride in five month's time."

_Silence._

"Ah, he's asleep," the woman spoke once more, before then turning to the boy. "Thank you, dear, I don't know what I will do without you. Anyway, is it really okay? It's quite a hassle to drop by Tomoeda at a time like this."

"Oh, it's no bother. I'm actually excited to see my cousin again. Besides, there's someone over there I'd like to meet. Feisty, wild, outgoing. I like girls like her. What was it?" A thoughtful pause. "Ah, yes…"

.

.

.

"Sakura. Sakura Kinomoto." A smile. "Please bid me luck, Yelan-sama."

* * *

**-End Chapter Three-**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Finally! After 23475745738984958989898119989812991 years I will update! Missed me? LOL xD Just kidding ahaha xD Anyway, it's been soooooo long I hope people will still read this, wew -.-"

Though I have been very much active in deviantart, I hope you'd drop by my account there! xD If ever you like my deviations, I'm up for drawing requests xDD

And lastly, I have been in such a rush to post this, so I no longer had **Sakura-chan Master of the Clow** beta-read it, so yeah, pardon any typographical, grammatical, spelling errors I may have committed. If ever you see one, kindly point it out for me to correct it. Thanks! Love lots dear readers!

And yes, I am a proud Filipina xD

_Kamusta mga 'dre? Sana po ma-enjoy niyo 'yung pagbabasa nito ahahaha xD Review naman diyan o!_

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN CCS!**

* * *

**The Game of Love**

_By: Abby_

**Chapter Four**

* * *

_cherry_blossom entered the conversation._

_LittleWolf entered the conversation._

**cherry_blossom:** Hey.

**LittleWolf:** Wow, most of us are online. Mind telling me what's up?

**pizzaguy: **I'm hungry guys…

**cherry_blossom:** You're always hungry Ryu-kun -.-"

**LittleWolf:** Oi...I'm asking something here; what's up?

**pizzaguy:** Give me food…

**pizzaguy:** Food…

**LittleWolf: **…

**pizzaguy:** Food…

**LittleWolf: **…

**pizzaguy:** Food…

**RubyRed:** WILL YOU STOP IT ALREADY?

**LittleWolf:** Hello? Guys?

**pizzaguy: **But I'm hungry Mei-chan~ TT^TT

**RubyRed:** THEN GO ORDER OUT OR SOMETHING =.= geez…

**LittleWolf:** Hello~? Syaoran Li here…

**cherry_blossom: **Pffft. No one's gonna be paying any attention to you Li.

**LittleWolf:** You just did.

**pizzaguy: **Be right back guys. Gonna be ordering pizza.

_pizzaguy left the conversation._

**cherry_blossom:** And, he's gone.

_FashionAmethyst entered the conversation._

**cherry_blossom: **'Sup Tomoyo?

**FashionAmethyst: **You told me to go online, so I did.

**LittleWolf:** Okay. What is going on in here?

**RubyRed:** SYAORAAAAAN! WEI IS CALLING FOR YOU DOWNSTAIRS!

**RubyRed:** SYAORAN.

**RubyRed:** SYAORAN.

**RubyRed:** SYAORAN.

**LittleWolf:** I'm right in the next room Mei Lin. Can you at least tell it to me personally rather than spamming this conversation?

**cherry_blossom: **^FTW

**LittleWolf:** Whatever. Brb. And don't you dare go offline without telling me what's up Kinomoto.

**cherry_blossom: ***grumbles* Fine.

_LittleWolf left the conversation._

**RubyRed:** SYAORAN.

**RubyRed:** SYAORAN.

**RubyRed:** SYAORAN.

**RubyRed:** Oh. He's no longer online. Sorry.

**FashionAmethyst: **^.^

******FashionAmethyst**: So, Sakura-chan, you said you wanted to talk about something?

**cherry_blossom: **Well yeah, but Ryu and Syaoran aren't here yet.

**pizzaguy:** I'm back!

**cherry_blossom: **Forget what I said.

**RubyRed:** The idiot's here, so that just leaves Syaoran. He might take a while, from the looks of it, so why don't we just get on with this "meeting" and you just tell him later?

* * *

Sakura pouted, fingers dancing along her keyboard as she typed. Few times she would pause, thinking things over before resuming, then pounding on the enter key as she finished.

_"Okay!"_ they had all agreed. Few more discussions to clear things out, and that was that. Everything was settled.

* * *

**cherry_blossom:** So it's just Li we're waiting for huh?

**RubyRed:** Yeah.

* * *

Sakura looked at the time. 8:02 pm. She exhaled deeply as she leaned comfortably back her chair, feet on the computer table and hands behind her head.

Minutes passed.

Their chatbox had been flooded with Ryu and Mei-Lin's senseless rambling and random typing, complaining every now and then that Syaoran was taking too long.

* * *

**pizzaguy: **Ah! Pizza's here! Sorry guys, but, I gotta go.

**RubyRed: **Sure. Bye.

**pizzaguy: **Bye.

_pizzaguy left the conversation._

* * *

_8:45 pm_

******FashionAmethyst**: Oh dear. Mom's calling for me :(((

**RubyRed: **Why?

******FashionAmethyst**: To sleep.

**RubyRed: **This early?

******FashionAmethyst**: Oh, you know my mom. Either get eight hours of sleep or take an afternoon nap. You choose. She did say we have somewhere to go tomorrow early morning.

**cherry_blossom: **I hate afternoon naps.

**RubyRed: **Never tried it before.

**cherry_blossom: **Don't. Anyway, go ahead Tomoyo-chan. You can go to sleep. Good night!

******FashionAmethyst**: Thanks! Good night Sakura-chan, Mei Lin-chan.

_FashionAmethyst left the conversation._

* * *

_9:12 pm_

**RubyRed: **...

**RubyRed: **...

**RubyRed: **...

**cherry_blossom: **Sure is quiet here without the others huh?

**RubyRed: **Yeah…

**RubyRed: **...

**RubyRed: **...

* * *

_9:59 pm_

Sakura blinked.

_10:00 pm_

"Ten o' clock," she whispered, then staring blankly at the computer screen.

**cherry_blossom: **Hey, Mei Lin-chan. Can't you just tell Li personally what we have talked about? His room is right next to yours, isn't it?

**RubyRed: **He's not around at the moment.

**cherry_blossom: **Oh…

**cherry_blossom: **…

**cherry_blossom: **…

**cherry_blossom: **Are you getting sleepy already?

**RubyRed: **Honestly, yeah, but…

**cherry_blossom: **Go ahead then. Don't worry, I'm fine. ^.^

**RubyRed: **You sure?

**cherry_blossom: **Yeah. Good night!

**RubyRed: **Okay. Good night. And I'm really sorry Sakura-chan L

**cherry_blossom: **I told you, it's fine. Don't worry. Bye!

**RubyRed: **Yeah. Bye. Thanks.

_RubyRed left the conversation._

Sakura sighed. "That idiot. Wonder what happened to him…"

* * *

"Ugh. I hate this." A growl. "Groceries are the worst."

Syaoran flinched, struggling through six large grocery bags as he stood outside the supermarket. Hell, hailing a taxi was almost suicide—with the heavy bags weighing down his arms. It took him quite some time to be able to hail a cab.

He yanked the passenger door open, poking his head in.

"Good evening sir! Where to?"

Despite his pent-up frustration, he managed to muster a smile as he recited his address.

* * *

_10:36 pm_.

_LittleWolf entered the conversation._

"Ah. Just as I thought. They're all gone," he sighed.

**cherry_blossom: **OI. WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOU IDIOT?

Syaoran's eyes shot open. "S-Sakura?"

**cherry_blossom: **OI OI! ANSWER ME DAMMIT!

**LittleWolf: **Wow. You really waited for me?

**cherry_blossom: **UGH! Why you insensitive jerk OF COURSE I DID! I WAS WORRIED SICK FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE!

**LittleWolf: **Why?

Sakura raised a brow.

_"Why?"_

What did he mean by that? Was he asking why she was worried sick?

Instantly, a warmth spread across her cheeks at the thought.

**cherry_blossom: **Because I was! Got any problem with that? Huh?

**LittleWolf: ***laughs* No not that. I mean, why did you wait for me even though it's very late at night?

**cherry_blossom: **Because I said I would.

Syaoran lips tilted up into a smile.

**LittleWolf: **Idiot.

**cherry_blossom: **So are you.

**LittleWolf: **Whatever. Anyway, didn't you have something to say?

**cherry_blossom: **Yeah, I have something to say. I was hoping we all could hang out on Sunday. Everyone has agreed already, so you better agree as well.

**LittleWolf: **Time?

**cherry_blossom: **9:00 am.

**LittleWolf: **Meeting place?

**cherry_blossom: **Penguin Park. So, you coming?

**LittleWolf: **Fine.

* * *

_11:01 pm._

Both were still online.

**LittleWolf: **Oi. Aren't you going to sleep yet?

**cherry_blossom: **Shut up. I'm working on our English project due Monday.

**LittleWolf: **You're not done yet?

**cherry_blossom: **No. You?

**LittleWolf: **Same here.

**cherry_blossom: **HA! THEN LET'S SEE WHO FINISHES FIRST! MWAHAHAHA!

**LittleWolf: ***rolls eyes* Whatever you say~

* * *

11:34 pm.

Sakura abruptly paused from her typing to look at the time, then releasing a weary sigh as she did so.

**LittleWolf:** You done?

**cherry_blossom:** No. You?

**LittleWolf:** Would I still be online if I was?

**cherry_blossom: **Point taken.

* * *

_12:30 am_

**cherry_blossom: **,.gneg

**cherry_blossom: **km.,l,.,

**cherry_blossom: **a;lgm,/j. k

**cherry_blossom: **,';g,hwku'wrm;lram

**LittleWolf: **What on earth are you doing? Don't you have a literary piece to finish?

**cherry_blossom: **Writer's block. I'm, like, literally banging my head on the keyboard for some sort of inspiration. You?

**LittleWolf: **Nearly done.

**cherry_blossom: **Oh…

**cherry_blossom: **kmgnjmhmd

**cherry_blossom: **.ns

* * *

_2:00 am_

**LittleWolf: **Hey.

**cherry_blossom: ***glares* Don't bother me.

**LittleWolf: **Let me guess…I just woke you from your sleep did I?

**cherry_blossom: **Shut up.

**LittleWolf: **I'll take that as a yes.

Sakura frowned.

Though in all honestly, she _did _fell asleep—for one whole hour to be exact. And she hated to admit, but she was thankful for Syaoran waking her up.

She went through her work.

"Alright. Just a few more and I'm done. You can do this Sakura," she whispered determinedly, before then resuming.

* * *

_2:46 am_

"Done!" she cried happily, then opening the chatbox.

Syaoran was still online.

Which means…

**cherry_blossom:** HA! I'm done. DONE! FINALLY!

**LittleWolf: **That's good then. So you're going to bed now?

**cherry_blossom: **Well duh~ Anywayss…MWHAHAHAHA! YOU LOOOOSSST! TAKE THAT LI!

**LittleWolf: **Think again Kinomoto.

**cherry_blossom: **Huh? What the hell do you mean by that?

**LittleWolf: **I finished that project two days ago. *smirks* Better luck next time Kinomoto. Ah, I'm really sleepy now haha. Guess I better go to bed now. Good night ^.^

Sakura stared at the computer screen disbelievingly.

He was finished two days ago?

Which means…

…HE STAYED UP ALL NIGHT WITH HER JUST FOR THE FUN OF IT?

But you know…it wasn't that bad at all. I mean, if it wasn't for him, she still might be dozing off, her mind long lost into the land of dreams.

**LittleWolf: **Oh, and see you tomorrow Miss Rank Number Two. Looking forward for a good time. ^.^

_LittleWolf left the conversation._

Sakura blinked.

"Damn you Syaoran Li." She paused. "YOU'RE GONNA ROT IN HELL THE NEXT TIME, I SWEAR! GYAAAAAAAA!"

"GO TO SLEEP KAIJUU!" –Touya.

"SHUT UP BAKA ONII-CHAN!"

* * *

_The next day, early morning…_

"Oh my…two years and this place haven't changed at all." He lightly chuckled. "No wonder those two like it in here."

He stepped in through the glass doors of the terminal, eyes quite weary after having hibernated throughout the entire flight. Quite slowly, he weaved his way out, careful of bumping into anyone as he did so. The airport was packed with people, and for a moment there, he had almost regretted his decision of turning down Yelan's offer to have a private plane take him.

Adjusting his glasses, he took a quick look around.

"Hmmm. Wei's not here yet. Oh dear. This is quite a problem," he whispered, then running a hand through his hair. "I might get lost."

It was only then when he saw her—a familiar-looking girl he knew he had seen before. With her wavy raven hair and clear purple eyes, there was no mistaking it.

"Ah! Right on cue!"

Smiling, he briskly turned and walked her direction.

* * *

"Okaa-san sure is taking long," she whispered to herself. There she stood by the middle of the cavernous space, quite awkwardly, she might add, as she watched her mother talking with a client.

She found it quite funny; being in the airport. Her eyes followed people as they walked back and forth, watching their mouths as they talked. She watched them move, walk up and down the aisles, some sitting, crowded in chairs, some eating bags of chips and capping their water bottled back one, the little kid right beside her playing with his Nintendo DS.

She watched people arrive.

But wait.

A certain boy caught her eye—a familiar-looking one. His navy blue hair was kept neat just as always, clear glasses shielding his eyes so brown they could pass for a black.

"No way…it's him!" she whispered to herself.

* * *

"Ohaiyo gozaimasu," he greeted upon reaching her. "I believe we have met before, Miss Daidouji."

She smiled. "Ah. Yes, we did, Mr. Hiiragizawa. Can I help you with anything?"

* * *

_._

_Silence hung over the Li mansion, accompanied with footsteps descending down the carpeted marble stairs—heavy and dragging with the black night air, the tension which hovered among everyone a proof of the utmost authority that certain man had in the house._

_The silence lingered, almost deafening to the ears._

_Silence._

_It was the deepest silence he had ever heard. No matter how hard he strained, he could not hear anything, except for the huffs of his own breath and the thumping of his heart._

_Even sight was no more._

_Darkness coated him, the inky darkness clouding his eyes._

_Emptiness surrounded him. And he knew too much about emptiness, having been brought up in the cold and gloomy Li mansion which could never pass for a "home"._

_He sat on one knee in front of his own father's presence, customary for everyone else in the house. And the boy spoke, his father's frown deepening with every word said._

_Silence._

_"Could you repeat what you have just said? Xiaolang?"_

_He gulped before repeating his words. "I...I want to stay in Tomoeda, father. I want to go back."_

_Silence._

_"Have you forgotten what Tomoeda has done to that worthless cousin of yours?" Syaoran gritted his teeth as the man continued._

_…You're lying…_

_"She had grown a rebel, an untamed beast!"_

_…No, she isn't!..._

_"Surely, you wouldn't want to be like her, right? Xiaolang? Besides, what's so great in that small city that you all wish to stay over there?"_

_Silence._

_Syaoran remained silent. What's so great in Tomoeda? He himself didn't know. So how could he ever provide an answer, reasonable enough for the stranger of a man he had called "Father" in his thirteen years of existence?_

_"Iie. I won't allow it. You will finish this school year there, and then, that's that. You're coming back. Understood?"_

_._

_._

_._

_"Yes, father. I will stay here, as told, and I vow by the mighty name of the Li clan, that I shall never break this pledge."_

_"Well said Xiaolang. Well said."_

_._

* * *

Riing. Riing. Rii—click.

.

.

.

"Who was it?"

"Xiefa."

"You didn't answer it?"

"Should I?"

"Baka! That's my line!"

Syaoran yawned as he slowly walked over to their dining room, expecting to inhale the sumptuous smell of their butler's cooking. He raised a brow upon getting none.

"Mei!" he then called. "Mei Lin?"

"I'm...right…h-here…" came a muffled grunt.

"Where?"

"In the kitchen."

Syaoran ran to the other room, then seeing Mei Lin scanning the contents of their refrigerator. "O-oi…what are you doing?"

She didn't answer.

A wrapped up sandwich popped up under his nose. He looked up at his cousin—a collision of confused amber to stern ruby—as she stuffed the food in his hands roughly along with a bag of chocolate chips and a carton of milk.

"Where's Wei?" he asked.

Still, she didn't answer.

"Oi, answer me, will you?" He glanced down at the pile of food in his arms. "What's this?"

She faced him bluntly.

"Dinner, because it's eight in the morning."

He rolled his eyes. "Tssss. How funny, Mei Lin-chan. You're starting to sound like Kinomoto."

"Is that a bad thing?"

He chuckled. "No. Just a bad sense of humor. You're not really the joker type Mei."

She huffed. "Hn. So are you."

"Ah, well, neither mom nor dad was, so I guess it pretty much runs in the genes."

Mei Lin glared at him as she propped herself on their living room couch with buttered bread on her hands. Syaoran smiled back as he took a bit on his own sandwich, which annoyed her even more, giving her the strong urge to come over to him and rip that stupid beam off the boy's face.

Of course, she thought better. After all, she really didn't want to ruin the good mood weekend mornings always brought her.

"Hey. Why didn't you answer your sister's call?"

Silence.

"Because I didn't want to hear her annoying high-pitched shrilly voice first thing in the morning. It's as simple as that."

"Liar."

"Prove it."

"It's obvious."

Silence.

* * *

.

_The reign of silence was long over._

_Coughs now echoed throughout the stranger's chamber, Syaoran being able to make out the blurred silhouette of his mother in the dark, sitting by the man's bedside, holding his hand, as if comforting him._

_"Xiaolang."_

_"Yes, father?"_

_"Two years, son, two years. That's the time I have left on this world. By that time, Xiaolang, you must be wed. Find a suitable bride in two years time, and bring her here." He coughed. "If you agree to this, I'll let you stay in Tomoeda until that time comes."_

_Syaoran looked up, a flicker of relief in his eyes._

_"Understood? Xiaolang?"_

_He bowed. "Yes, father. I will be wed in two years time, and I vow by the mighty name of the Li clan, that I shall never break this pledge."_

_A cough._

_"Good. Very good. You may leave."_

.

* * *

"How much time do you have left now? Five months?"

Syaoran didn't reply, choosing to concentrate on his sandwich instead. "You made this?" he asked casually, swiftly evading the topic. "The omelet, I mean."

"Yeah. Why?"

He shrugged. "Nothing. Never knew you can cook."

"Yeah, well, you get to learn things once you get kicked out of the mansion. You know—how to live independently…"

"Are you mad?"

"No. Thankful actually. Like I said, I learned a lot." She then stood up and walked to the kitchen to get a glass of water. "But that'd be enough talk about me for now. Shouldn't you be worrying about _that _instead?"

"I never wanted _that_."

"What you want doesn't matter when you're a _'Li'_…Syaoran. Of all people Syaoran, I thought that you'd the one most aware of that."

Silence.

"You know, I wouldn't be surprised if that stuck-up, know-it-all cousin of ours suddenly shows up—"

"Who's the stuck-up, know-it-all cousin you were talking about, Mei-chan?" a calm third voice intoned, with a knowing smile on his face.

Chaotic clangs of silverware followed.

* * *

.

_"And…you are?"_

_Syaoran raised a brow upon asking. From across the room, another boy his age stood—a boy with neatly kept navy blue hair and brown-black eyes in glasses._

_He smiled. "Eriol Hiiragizawa, Syaoran-kun."_

_"Syaoran-kun?"_

_"Oh, I'm sorry. Would you prefer Li-sama instead?"_

_Syaoran shook his head. "No. 'Syaoran-kun' is better. So, are you—"_

_"I'm your cousin—" he quickly cut in, then adding, "—of some sorts. A very distant cousin, to make it simple."_

_Syaoran nodded. "And…your purpose is…?"_

_"An advisor."_

_"Oh. I see. Whose then? Father's? Mother's?"_

_"Yours."_

_"What?"_

_"I'm your advisor."_

_"I don't want one."_

_"Ah. Forgive my rude words dear cousin, but what you want doesn't matter when you're a 'Li'." He smiled once more. "Always remember that, Syaoran-kun."_

.

* * *

The cousins sat in silence in the living room a little later, Syaoran pouring the navy-haired boy a drink the only thing heard. He glared the whole time. Eriol only smiled in return.

Mei Lin remained silent in the corner with an air of awkwardness coating her.

Syaoran finally set the pitcher down, then sitting across him. "Speak," he demanded sternly.

"Ah, how I love that firm look on your face. You sure are growing much like Li-sama."

This seemed to annoy Syaoran. "Speak, I said."

"Quite a harsh way to welcome a cousin who had come all the way from Hong Kong."

"Why are you here?"

"As an advisor—"

"Didn't I say I didn't want one?"

"Oh dear. Do I sense another failure of a Li coming?" He glanced at ruby eyed girl. "One was enough Syaoran. I wouldn't want you to add up."

That did it.

"Why you…" he briskly stood up, a fist brought up. "IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT MEI LIN—"

"Syaoran!" the girl held him back.

"My my. This is quite the reunion isn't it? Ne?" he noted, still with the same innocent smile plastered on his face. "The rebel and the runaway—you make quite a team."

"Runaway?"

"Ah yes. Runaway. You know, running off from your responsibilities and duties as the Li heir."

Syaoran threw him a glare. "That's two strikes in a row Hiiragizawa. One more and I'm gonna introduce you to my fist soon."

Mei Lin backed away into a corner, watching the scene unfold with a pained expression on her face. _How did it all come to this?_ She couldn't help but wonder. Just yesterday, it seemed as if the three were the closest of cousins. But now, nothing. Just the tensional silence and oppressing atmosphere weighing down upon them.

_"Syaoran, Mei Lin, Eriol. Always remember that you carry our honorable bloodline. You must uphold the rules at all times. Only then will you be recognized a true Li clansmen. Understood?"_

_"Yes, Li-sama. We vow by the mighty name of the Li clan, that we shall never break this pledge."_

And just that, everything changed.

It's funny how she saw their rivalry feud a pointless one. It was because of them—the Li elders—always comparing the three of them to each other, as though wanting them to compete with each other, training them to perfection before passing their standards.

It was how they were brought up—how every Li was brought up. Mei Lin had rebelled; Syaoran silently detested the system. Eriol Hiiragizawa, however, lived up to the rules. He was effortlessly every bit of what a Li should be. It was quite the irony, considering the navy-haired boy was only a distant relative.

Maybe that was why the two started to hate him so much.

"Hn. I can't stand your presence. I'm going out."

Mind getting a grip back to reality, she watched as Syaoran turned his back against them and left the house in a bad mood.

Eriol watched him, only stopping as the door shut close. He then glanced sideways at her.

"He's grown quite stubborn, isn't he? Anyway, nice to see you again Mei-chan."

She nodded. "A-ah…nice to see you again too…" she replied quite reluctantly.

"Is Wei around?"

"We haven't seen him yet today."

"That's too bad. I am getting hungry."

"Would you like me to fix something for you then?"

"Ah, yes, yes. Please do. Arigato, Mei-chan."

It was only a casual conversation, silence following once more as both fell short on what to say. Or simply, neither had anything to say to the other. But Mei Lin swore she felt it—a slight twinge of regret and nostalgia in Eriol's voice.

Maybe he too, wonders.

Maybe he too, asks himself.

_How did it all come to this?_

"Oh yeah, I forgot to ask you Mei-chan…

…do you happen to know someone named Sakura Kinomoto?"

* * *

.

_"Sakura Kinomoto?"_

_Upon the mention of the name, Eriol peered over his glasses, his calm yet hard stare boring right through his informant. And a few ways away, Mei Lin hid herself by the darkened hallway, her presence concealed as she listened._

_"A-ah…yes, Hiiragizawa-sama. She's a classmate of Li-sama."_

_"Anything special about her then?"_

_"According to rumors, she is always second to Li-sama in everything. She provides him a real challenge and is always close to him in the ranks."_

_He raised a brow. "You mean, someone who could compete with the excellence of a Li?"_

_"U-uh…"_

_"Interesting. Interesting indeed. It's quite hard to believe that there could be such person who could level with the standards of a Li…" a chuckle. "Such person as her...she'd be a perfect addition to the Li clan."_

_A feeling of uneasiness suddenly ran through Mei Lin._

_"Did he just say…?" she whispered to herself, stopping short as she then ran off before Eriol could see her, hearing his footsteps coming closer her way._

_._

* * *

"Syaoran? Syaaaoooooraaaan-kuuuuuuuuuuun~"

"H-huh? Wha—" his face fell. "Oh. It's you."

A smirk. "Hell yes, it's me! _The_ Sakura Kinomoto—your ever so fierce, strong-willed, talented—"

"—big-mouthed—"

Sakura gritted her teeth, choosing to ignore Syaoran's comment as she finished. "—rival." she paused abruptly. "So, mind explaining to why on earth are you here in Penguin Park?"

"I like it here Penguin Park."

"Alone?"

"I'm used to being alone."

"On a tree branch?"

"The view is beautiful from here."

"With so many thoughts on your mind?"

"How can you tell?"

"Because you didn't notice me running up to you a while back," her face was suddenly filled with worry. "You have a problem right? You can talk to me about it if you want to. I may not be able to give you some advice, but at least you were able to let it out."

"I'd rather not."

"Oh please. That's what so annoying about you! You keep yourself away from everyone!" Sakura let out an exasperated sigh as she too then climbed up and sat at another branch, a little bit lower than where he was.

"Didn't I tell you I'm used to being alone? Please don't bother yourself with my ordeals. It's probably too complicated for your shallow mind to understand."

"Bah! Say whatever you want but I'm not leaving here until I see that annoying smirk on your face again."

She looked ahead and realized that he was right indeed. The view was beautiful. From there, she could see the seaside edge of Tomoeda. The sunset swirled into the void of eternal horizon, gently disappearing into the lapping blue ocean. And she was left awed by it.

"Wow…" came a whisper. "The sunset's beautiful…ne? Li-kun? Now I see why you like it here so much."

"It's the perfect place for thinking things over."

"I knew it! You do have a problem!"

"Never said I didn't."

"Tsss. Whatever. What is your problem anyway? Why won't you tell me?"

"Yeah Syaoran-kun, why won't you tell her?" a voice from below intoned.

They both looked down, eyes widening as they did so.

* * *

.

_"Hmm…so you like this Kinomoto girl?"_

_Eriol laughed. "Of course I do Xiefa. What's not to like? I have just met her after my short visit to Tomoeda, and I have to say, that girl's got style."_

_"I heard you tried to ask her out on a date."_

_"Yes, I did."_

_"What happened?"_

_"Oh. Nothing really. Just a very upset older brother."_

_Xiefa laughed, until a troubling thought then crossed her mind. "Sakura Kinomoto hm? Isn't she the girl that—"_

_"I know. Syaoran said so himself."_

_"Still, you asked her out on a date? Tell me dear Eriol-kun, is she the girl you wish to wed?"_

_A smile._

_"On the contrary, my dear cousin…she is the girl I eye…for Syaoran-kun to wed. As I've said before, such person…will be a perfect addition to the Li clan."_

.

* * *

"Hiiragizawa!" both Sakura and Syaoran chorused, and then exchanged surprised glances. "YOU KNOW HIM?"

Li frowned. "Well of course I know him. He's my cousin-slash-advisor. And you?"

"U-uhh...well…" a nervous laugh, "…let's just say that he and my brother are not really in good terms at the moment…"

"Why?"

"Because..."

"Because…?"

"Because I tried to ask her out on a date the last time I was here," Eriol answered for her, still with a calm and seemingly innocent smile on his face.

"A date?" Syaoran repeated, as he then motioned for Sakura to get down from the branch, then following after her.

"Yes, a date."

"And you came all the way here just to ask her out again?"

"Partly."

Sakura frowned. "My answer's still a no."

"You heard her. No one likes you Hiiragizawa, so beat it. You're better off in Hong Kong than here in Tomoeda," Syaoran said.

Sakura was left surprised by his words. Never had she seen Syaoran like that.

"Oi…Li-kun…don't you think that's being a bit too harsh?" she whispered as she tugged the back of his shirt.

The sun was slowly setting. Just a little longer and the darkness would then reign, yet Syaoran and Eriol stood their, motionless, except for their breathing.

Syaoran gritted his teeth, feeling the very same oppressing atmosphere he had felt in the apartment just a while back. And it was because of him. It was because of this confrontation, which he had tried to avoid all these years. However, now that it has come to this, he knew there was no turning back.

"You heard me Hiiragizawa. Go back to Hong Kong. It will do us much good."

"My my…I just came here and now you're gonna send me back? I think it's too early for me to return there…_Syaoran-kun…"_

A chill ran down his spine as the other mentioned his name. And for the first time ever, Syaoran found himself staring straight through his cousin's eyes. They were dark brown, nearly passing for a black—it was only then when he knew what color they were.

He still hadn't changed at all. He was still how he had last remembered him, before he left for Tomoeda. And his smile. His smile hadn't changed either—cheeky, as if saying "I know something that you don't."

He was still the Eriol Hiiragizawa he had known. He was still the cousin he had used to treat as a brother and almost a best friend.

So how did it all come to this?

Maybe the fault wasn't with Eriol. Nor with Mei Lin.

Maybe the fault lies with him, Syaoran Li.

"Why are you here, Hiiragizawa?" he asked.

"I have a purpose for coming here."

"Purpose?" his tone was still harsh.

A sigh. "You know…I'm trying to make peace with you; I can see you hate me so much. I'm trying to remember things I have done in the past which may have triggered that kind of anger towards me, but I really can't recall any."

"Don't change the topic," Syaoran stubbornly interrupted, though knowing to himself that he was right. He didn't hate Eriol because he had done something wrong. He hated him because…

The pauses between their unconstructed conversations were frequent and long.

"Sakura-chan," Eriol spoke once more, breaking the silence.

"H-hai!" Sakura instinctively replied, quite relieved that the hard stares were over.

"I give you a choice, Sakura-chan. Either you angree to go out with me…"

.

.

.

"…or you date Syaoran-kun instead."

The sun had completely set then. It was now dark out, however, no one seemed to have noticed.

"Date Syaoran-kun? But…I thought you…" Sakura gulped, quite hesitant. "…you…_liked_…me…"

He laughed. "Yes, I do like you," he shifted his gaze to where Syaoran was. "…however, I like you better with Syaoran."

Syaoran raised a brow with one thought in mind.

_What the hell…_

"What if I choose neither?"

"Hm, well then. Syaoran will be robbed of all his privileges as a Li clansman."

"W-what?"

"Didn't you know? In a few months time, Syaoran will have to bring a suitable bride with him back to Hong Kong. It was a vow he had made. So, what will it be, Sakura-chan?"

"I can't agree to that," Syaoran spoke. "I wish for Sakura to be kept out of anything concering the Li clan."

"I'm afraid I can't fulfill that wish cousin."

"But—"

"I agree."

Syaoran turned to Sakura. "What did you say?"

"I agree to your condition Hiiragizawa."

"But Sakura—"

"I'm not as shallow-minded as you think Syaoran! It's about this right? Why you've been so down?" she cast him a worried look. "I don't know how your family system is, nor I know any of these rules you need to uphold, but I do know one thing—that I'd be of great help to you if I agree to Hiiragizawa."

"…"

"Look, I know you keep your demises to yourself. You never like talking to anyone about them. And I know you deal with them yourself. But please, Syaoran, let me help you just this once."

"…"

"Shall I take your silence as a yes? Syaoran?" Sakura asked, or rather, begged, for the boy's agreement.

Syaoran looked away doggedly.

"I think he agrees," Eriol noted.

"Great," Sakura deadpanned, still with a worried look. "For how long shall I date him? Ne? Hiiragizawa?"

"Oh. Not long. Let's say…" a smile, "…seven days. Will that do?"

An eager silence followed.

Sakura breathed deeply, before then mustering enough courage to let out a firm, determined, reply…

* * *

**-End of Chapter Four-**

* * *

**A/N: **Yeah yeah, it's rushed, I know. Still, hope you guys loved it! And yeah, review LOL xD


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